NYPD Learns Social Media Lesson The Hard Way

Posted by: Curt Varone April 23, 2014 0

The social media age is upon us, and one of the exciting things about the new wild west of cyberspace is there are no rules. We all are learning as we go. We learn from the successes… and failures… of others who are out there giving it their best try…

The NYPD suffered one of those failures yesterday when it asked followers on Twitter to send in photos of themselves posing with NYPD officers using the hashtag #myNYPD.

What they got… was not what they expected… and certainly fire departments and other emergency organizations should pay heed. Be careful what you ask for.

About Curt Varone

Curt Varone has over 45 years of fire service experience and 35 as a practicing attorney licensed in both Rhode Island and Maine. His background includes 29 years as a career firefighter in Providence (retiring as a Deputy Assistant Chief), as well as volunteer and paid on call experience. He is the author of two books: Legal Considerations for Fire and Emergency Services, (2006, 2nd ed. 2011, 3rd ed. 2014, 4th ed. 2022) and Fire Officer's Legal Handbook (2007), and is a contributing editor for Firehouse Magazine writing the Fire Law column.
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