SOCIAL MEDIA TERMS OF SERVICE

We respect everyone's right to free speech, however, we do not allow certain forms of 

conduct which cultivates online hate through social media. 

By posting or commenting on any social media platform used by the North Tonawanda 

Police Department, you participate by your own choice, taking personal responsibility for 

your comments, your username and any information you provide therein. You further agree 

to the following terms of use: 

The North Tonawanda Department maintains a social media program for the purpose of 

engaging and interacting with our community, providing relevant and timely community 

news, information and events, distribution of crime prevention and public safety tips, for 

urgent notifications of critical incidents which may affect residents, business owners and 

visitors of the city of Hemet, and for those people having an interest in the North 

Tonawanda Police Department. 

NOT A PUBLIC FORUM: 

All social media platforms used by the North Tonawanda Police Department are not public 

forums. The department welcomes a person’s right to express his/her opinion and 

encourages posters to keep comments relevant to the topic in question. Posting of any 

content on any social media platform used by the North Tonawanda Police Department, by 

any visitor, follower, subscriber or fan, constitutes acceptance of the terms of use described 

here in this policy. 

For purposes of this policy, a social media platform is the website or app offered to the 

public to provide audio, video, still-photo or written communication between other 

members of the public and/or representatives of certain groups, businesses, organizations or 

departments. Examples of social media platforms include Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Flickr, 

LinkedIn, website blogs with commenting capabilities, forums and emergency notification 

services. 

The definition of content as used in this policy refers to any written copy, photos, graphics, 

videos, live-video streams, comments or any form of communicative content exchanged 

between parties. 

EMERGENCY OR NON-EMERGENCY REQUESTS FOR ASSISTANCE: 

The posting of requests for police assistance, regardless if it is of an emergency or nonemergency nature, is discouraged and will not guarantee a response by the North Tonawanda Police Department or any emergency service provider. In case of an emergency, 

or if police assistance is needed, please dial 911. If you wish to report a crime or information 

relevant to a crime, please call (716) 692-4111 option 0. 

In the event you post information related to a crime, you may be placing yourself in a 

position of becoming a witness and subject to being subpoenaed into court. 

ENDORSEMENTS: 

“Friending” or “Liking” the North Tonawanda Police Department, or an officer or employee 

of the North Tonawanda Police Department, does not indicate an endorsement of that 

person’s actions or comments. 

A comment posted by a member of the public on any North Tonawanda Police Department 

social media site is the opinion of the commentator or poster only, and publication of a 

comment does not imply endorsement of, or agreement by, the North Tonawanda Police 

Department, nor do such comments necessarily reflect the opinions or policies of the North 

Tonawanda Police Department . 

MODERATION OF CONTENT: 

The North Tonawanda Police Department's social media platforms are intended to be 

"family friendly," When applicable, the department uses platform provided content 

moderation/filtering options to limit foul or obscene content. The North Tonawanda Police 

Department does actively monitor the social media platforms used by the department and 

will remove inappropriate content as defined below, without prior notice, and as soon as 

possible. The department shall reserve the right to remove and/or block anyone who posts 

inappropriate material as determined by the department. This material may include, but is 

not limited to: 

Comments not related to the original topic, including random or unintelligible comments; 

Profane, obscene, or pornographic content and/or language; 

Content that promotes, fosters, or perpetuates discrimination on the basis of race, creed, 

color, age, religion, gender, or national origin; 

Defamatory or personal attacks; 

Threats to any person or organization; 

Comments in support of, or in opposition to, any political campaigns or ballot measures; 

Solicitation of commerce, including but not limited to advertising of any business or product 

for sale; 

Conduct in violation of any federal, state or local law; 

Encouragement of illegal activity; 

Information that may tend to compromise the safety or security of the public or public 

systems; 

Content that violates a legal ownership interest, such as a copyright, of any party; 

Harassment or content which constitutes and/or facilitates stalking; 

Content which violates the right to privacy; 

Encouragement of violence; 

Repetitive content; 

Comments which may reasonably interfere with, inhibit, or compromise law enforcement 

investigations, police tactics, police responses to incidents and/or the safety of police staff 

and officers; 

Posts or comments that contain any external links; 

Personally identifiable medical information. 

The department does not allow posting of photos or videos by anyone other than members 

of the department. 

DENIAL OF ACCESS: 

The North Tonawanda Police Department reserves the right to deny access to any North 

Tonawanda Police Department social media sites for any individual, who violates the North 

Tonawanda Police Department ’s Social Media Terms of Use, at any time and without prior 

notice. 

FACEBOOK COMMUNITY OF STANDARDS: 

All comments posted to any North Tonawanda Police Department Facebook site are bound 

by Facebook’s Community Standards, located at 

http://www.facebook.com/communitystandards, and the North Tonawanda Police 

Department reserves the right to report any violation of Facebook’s Community Standards 

to Facebook with the intent of Facebook taking appropriate and reasonable responsive 

action. 

THE TWITTER RULES: 

When applicable, the North Tonawanda Police Department reserves the right to report any 

violation of the Twitter Rules, located at https://support.twitter.com/articles/18311 with the 

intent of Twitter taking appropriate and reasonable responsive action. 

INSTAGRAM COMMUNITY GUIDELINES: 

When applicable, the North Tonawanda Police Department reserves the right to report any 

violation of the Instagram Community Guidelines, located at 

https://help.instagram.com/477434105621119/ with the intent of Instagram taking 

appropriate and reasonable responsive action. 

YOUTUBE COMMUNITY GUIDELINES: 

When applicable, the North Tonawanda Police Department reserves the right to report any 

violation of the YouTube Community Guidelines, located at 

ttp://www.youtube.com/yt/policyandsafety/communityguidelines.html with the intent of 

YouTube taking appropriate and reasonable responsive action. 

If you have any questions about this Agreement, please contact us. 

North Tonawanda Police Department

216 Payne Avenue 

North Tonawanda, NY 14120 

(716) 692-4111 option 0 

This document was last updated on November 14, 2022