All City Social Media Sites are subject to the California Public Records Act. Therefore, any content maintained in a Social Media format that is related to city business, including a list of subscribers, posted communication, and communications submitted for posting, may be a public record subject to public disclosure. This requirement may not be changed to exclude social media content.

The City reserves the right to restrict or remove any content that is deemed in violation of this policy or any applicable law.

All City Social Media Sites shall contain the "Commenting Notice" and clearly indicate that any content posted is subject to public disclosure. The City reserves the right to restrict or remove any content that is deemed in violation of this policy, the Commenting Notice, or any applicable law as it applies to comments.

Social Media Commenting Notice

The City's Social Media Sites are intended to serve as a forum for communication between the public and the City of Westminster. The City reserves the right to restrict or remove inappropriate comments including those that include obscene language or sexual content, threaten or defame any person or organization, violate intellectual property rights or the legal ownership interest of another party, support or oppose political candidates or ballot propositions, encourage illegal activity, promote commercial services or products, or are not topically related to the particular posting. Comments made by individuals are the expressed opinions of those individuals, and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or policies of the City.

  Moderation of Content

By its nature, social media sites allow for a participatory, interactive experience, with members of these sites being able to comment or respond to information posted on the City's behalf. The City is committed to serving our community in a civil and unbiased manner. To ensure that this commitment is fulfilled, the City has established this comment notice with regards to comments and content from third parties posted on City Social Media Sites.

Comments containing any of the following inappropriate forms of content shall not be permitted on any City Social Media Sites and are subject to removal and/or restriction:

• Comments not related to the original topic, including random or unintelligible comments;
• Profane, obscene, violent, sexual, or pornographic content and/or language;
• Content that promotes, fosters, or perpetuates discrimination on the basis of race, creed, color, age, religion, gender, marital status, national origin, status with regard to public assistance, physical or mental disability, or sexual orientation;
• Libelous, defamatory, or personal attacks or comments;
• Threats of violence or illegal activity to any person or organization;
• Comments infringing on copyrighted or trademarked material;
• Solicitations of commerce;
• Comments in support of, or in opposition to, any political candidate, campaign, ballot measure, or proposition;
• Encouragement of illegal activity;
• Information that may tend to compromise the safety or security of the general public; Information revealing private data of any person such as addresses, credit card information, medical information, financial information, social security numbers, etc.; Comments containing specific or imminent threats; and
• Links leading to any of the above inappropriate forms of content.

Emergency or Non-Emergency Requests for Police Assistance

The posting of requests for police assistance, regardless if it is of an emergency or non-emergency nature, is discouraged and will not guarantee a response by the Westminster 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 our non-emergency dispatch line at (714) 548-3212.

Please keep in mind that 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

Comments made by individuals who are not employees of the City are the expressed opinions of those individuals, and the availability of these comments on City Social Media Sites does not imply any endorsement of nor agreement to by the City, nor do these comments necessarily reflect the opinions or policies of the City.

Denial of Access 

The City reserves the right to deny access to a City social media site to any individual who violates the City’s social media policy and/or commenting notice without prior notice, at any time.