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Administration ] [
Personnel ] [
General Operations ] [
Field
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Criminal Investigations ] |
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Applicable
To: All employees |
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Approval
Authority: Chief Richard J.
Pennington |
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Signature: Signed by RJP |
Date
Signed: |
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| Table of Content | |||
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4.1 Internet access is permitted for the following uses: |
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To provide guidelines for the use of the Internet and electronic mail (e-mail).
The Atlanta Police Department provides use of the Internet and electronic mail (e-mail) for the purpose of conducting Department business. This policy will apply to on or off-duty employees using Departmental hardware or software.
3.1 All employees will adhere to the guidelines set forth in this directive. An employee who logs on the network or ISP will be responsible for its use until he or she logs off.
3.2 Supervisors will monitor the use of computers to ensure compliance with this directive.
4.1 Internet access is permitted for the following uses:
4.1.1 To transmit or receive electronic mail (e-mail).
4.1.2 Access to the Internet for the purpose of Department related (or other) business that falls within the guidelines of this policy.
4.1.3 File transmissions, uploads, or downloads of electronic data through the Internet for the purpose of Department-related or other business that falls within the guidelines of this policy.
4.2 Use of Department computers
4.2.1 Use of the Internet and electronic mail (e-mail) for Department business or on Department computers, networking or accounts must follow these guidelines.
4.2.2 The loading of software for an Internet Service Provider (ISP) on a Department computer and the creation of a Department ISP account must have the prior approval of the Computer Services commander. The Computer Services commander may issue a list of approved ISP's for this purpose.
4.3.1 It is expressly prohibited to use the Internet or electronic mail on any Departmental computer, or any other computer while conducting Departmental business, while on or off-duty, or by any other presentation of being on Departmental business, to view, upload, download, copy, retain, transfer, or otherwise deal with any images, files or programs that contain any of the following:
1. Images or files that display nudity, obscenity, or sexually explicit material.
2. Images or files that would be considered offensive due to sexual or graphic content by any reasonable member of the public, or any employee of the Atlanta Police Department.
3. Images or files that would bring discredit to any employee or the Atlanta Police Department as a whole.
4. Exceptions are listed in section 4.7.
4.3.2 Employees are responsible for purging any images or files that violate section 4.3.1 from Department computers.
4.3.3 Employees will not allow non-employees to use the Internet or e-mail through the use of Department hardware or software other than for conducting Department business.
4.4 Use for access to the Internet
4.4.1 Any personal software used to access the Internet or to transmit or receive electronic mail must be pre-authorized by the Computer Services commander prior to loading the software on the Departmental computer.
4.4.2 No Departmental computer will be used to communicate with or establish a link with another computer if the remote computer is reasonably believed to be engaged in activities that violates any Department policies or City, State or Federal Laws.
4.5.1 Electronic mail is not a private or protected form of communication. E-mail may be used for business purposes under the following restrictions:
1. The message cannot contain language that would be considered offensive due to sexual or graphic content by any reasonable member of the public, or any employee of the Atlanta Police Department.
2. The message content will not bring discredit to any employee or the Atlanta Police Department as a whole.
3. Transmitted mail must not contain attached files that would violate any part of this policy.
4. It is the user's responsibility to purge materials that violate this policy.
5. Messages must be written in a professional, business-like manner.
4.6.1 Employees will not release information such as passwords, access codes, or other confidential information that could comprise the security of data, files or software stored on any Departmental computer.
4.6.2 Employees will not in any way disable data protective software, except that an employee assigned as a Systems Administrator (or otherwise authorized), may when necessary disable the software for maintenance, upgrades or other necessary purposes.
4.6.3 Employee will not intentionally interfere with a Departmental computer system, such that Departmental data is lost, stolen, falsified, forged, compromised or deleted.
4.7 Exceptions - Images and Files
4.7.1 In order to properly investigate criminal activity, it may be necessary to upload, download or transfer certain files that otherwise violate this policy.
4.7.2 These files may be temporarily stored on Departmental computers during the course of an active criminal investigation. As soon as possible, these images or files must be removed from the computers and either deleted or transferred to external storage media, such as diskette, zip drive, or tape after the criminal investigation has been completed. The storage media will then be maintained under the evidentiary policies of the Atlanta Police Department.
4.7.3 Images or files may be stored on Departmental computers if the storage of such files on removable media might hinder the prosecution of a criminal investigation. A supervisor directly involved in, or supervising the investigation, must approve this exception. In all cases, the unit commander, the section commander, and the division commander will be notified of this exception, and the file name, location of the storage, and the reason for the exception.
4.8.1 It may become necessary during the course of a criminal investigation to establish a communicative link between a Department computer and a remote system involved in criminal activity.
4.8.2 This link may be established only for the purpose of conducting a legitimate investigation, and may continue only while the investigation is active.
4.8.3 This link may only be established under the supervision of technical personnel designated by the Criminal Investigations Division commander, in consultation with Computer Services Section.
1. It is vital that no link be established that could compromise the security of the Department's computer network.
2. Links of this type must be established by a "stand-alone" computer in all cases. This link may not be established with a computer directly connected via network to any server.
4.8.4 Any other exceptions not outlined in this policy must be pre-authorized by the Criminal Investigations Division commander.
4.9.1 The Department has the right to inspect the files, programs, hardware, or software of any computer owned, leased, or otherwise controlled by the Department. The Department may electronically monitor Internet activity or e-mail.
4.9.2 Employees do not have a right to privacy regarding any personal or business-related information stored on a Department computer system.
4.9.3 The use of encryption software, unless authorized by the Criminal Investigations Division commander, is in violation of this policy. In all cases, the key to the encryption must be provided to the Criminal Investigations Division commander.
4.9.4 The use of encryption software to prevent the inspection of any files is forbidden.
4.9.5 A computer owned, leased, or otherwise controlled by the Department may be inspected at any time by a supervisor to check for full compliance with Departmental policy. In the case of sensitive investigations, and in order not to compromise ongoing investigations, an inspection of a computer containing such an investigation must be done either:
1. After consultation with the immediate supervisor. The section commander must then be notified of this inspection.
2. By the Office of Professional Standards (OPS).
5.1 Departmental Computer System- Any microcomputer, network, or Internet account owned, leased or otherwise controlled by the Atlanta Police Department.
5.2 Electronic Mail (E-Mail) - Electronic transfer of information from one person to another.
5.3 Internet - For the purposes of the directive, in general, it is the electronic connection of any Atlanta Police Department computer to any non-Atlanta Police Department computer, computer system or network. Specifically, the term includes the Internet itself, the World Wide Web or any similar network such as America On-line, Mindspring, Compu-Serve, and the Microsoft Network. This includes any connection through direct network cable, dial-up modem access, radio frequency modem, proxy servers, or any other similar connection.
APD.SOP.5.22 “Internet and Electronic Mail”
APD.SOP.6050 "Computer Services" APD.SOP.6052 "Microcomputer Network Management"
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