LEWISTON — Police around
Lewiston-Auburn have begun watching their own online behavior.

The reason is simple, Auburn Police Chief Phil Crowell said. Cops, like anybody else, can fall prey to the Internet’s illusion of privacy.

Lewiston police and the Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Office are both writing policies with new rules of
conduct for personal Web sites and social networking sites such as Facebook.

The latter is based on Auburn’s first-in-the-area policy, passed in August 2008 after questions were raised about an officer’s off-duty Internet use, Crowell said. He declined to elaborate.

“Ninety-nine-point-nine percent of the time, people are doing it right,” Crowell said. Since his department created the policy it has been enforced once, resulting in a written reprimand for an Auburn officer.

Lewiston and county leaders say their policies were not triggered by any activity or event. Rather, they are trying to catch up with the times.

“It’s more cautionary,” said James Minkowsky, Lewiston’s deputy chief.

Lewiston and Auburn both have Facebook pages for their police departments. They use them to issue releases about wanted criminals, details on parking bans or other breaking news.

Officers also have personal Facebook pages of their own. Minkowsky has one. So does Auburn Deputy Chief Jason Moen and Sheriff Guy Desjardins. And none of the policies prohibit them.

Instead, they aim to preserve each department’s reputation without squelching anyone’s free expression, Minkowsky said.

“It’s a fine line,” said Minkowsky, who uses his Facebook page as a way to keep in touch with a buddy who lives in Australia. Some local officers post political remarks and other messages but don’t identify themselves as cops.

Minkowsky has heard of cases in other states where officers posted crime scene photos on their personal Facebook sites, an obvious violation of trust.

“Mostly it’s common sense,” Minkowsky said. What people place online can give insight into their judgment, which is why Lewiston and Auburn police also do Internet searches before someone is hired, examining what applicants may have posted.

To Desjardins, the main reason for creating the policy is to make sure that his department’s image and reputation is preserved, he said.

The current proposal would require the sheriff’s permission before a deputy could post any work-related material on the Internet.

“Employees shall not post any material on the Internet that brings discredit to or my adversely affect the efficiency or integrity of the department,” it states.

As long as they separate their work from their personal lives, deputies can typically say what they wish, Desjardins said.

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