Controversy is brewing over some local officers who have profiles on MySpace.com.
Last week, a Marion County Deputy Brian Quinn, 26, lost his job because of what he'd posted on MySpace, WESH 2 News reported.
Six police officers in Volusia County are under scrutiny for the same reason.
The chief said he hasn't talked to all the officers yet. He's reviewing the information to decide if any policies were violated or if the MySpace postings should lead to an internal investigation.
Police officers can have Web sites, but there are some things they can't do.
Edgewater police officer John Conley's MySpace site features the officer in full uniform pointing his gun. Information on the site about Conley is not suggestive or racy, but if he posed for the picture, the chief said he has a problem with it.
"A handgun should not be taken out unless you know you're going to have to use it or for training purposes," said Chief John Taves.
Some of Conley's pictures are clearly the officer on the job. It's not yet clear if they were innocently sent to him and posted. The chief said his concern is whether Conley's pictures or those he's seen on other officers' sites are professionals behaving badly.
"Horseplay is a violation of our policies and procedures. We'll look at every photo to see if it depicts horseplay on duty," Taves said.
Officer Marti Miles said a picture of her was posted on another officer's site without her knowledge. She called it unprofessional and disturbing.
"I will not allow anyone in this department to take another photograph of me on duty or off duty because at this point you never know where they're going to end up," she said.
The chief said he takes particular issue with a picture on one of the officers' sites that shows a man in uniform who is not an Edgewater cop -- a clear violation of policy.
"It's our city signature. It's our emblem. It's the police department. It's a sworn law enforcement officer and who are you letting wear this uniform?" Taves said.
The police chief will likely make a decision on whether any of the officers with MySpace sites face punishment by the end of the week.
Edgewater police have also circulated a new memo warning officers not to post anything on a Web site relevant to the police department or the city without the written approval of the chief.
To comment on this story, send an e-mail to Claire Metz .
You know, I see a lot of local officers on that damn thing. They have their academy pics and pics of them on the job. I'm a strong believer of having pride for this profession, however everyone has a myspace page now. What happens when joe the rag man who you have repeatedly locked up finds your page, then he has a lock on your friends, family, even where you live.. not so smart.. I like to fly under the radar. No myspace pages showing what I do, no stickers on the truck. Thats that.
Posted by: dcs2244
You're right, Dodge. Here's the bumper-sticker version of what you said:
"High Visibility, Low Profile".
There used to be a book at Paladin Press that spoke about "stealth living". I tried to google it, but apparently the term has been seized by the gay/lesbian/transgendered subculture. In any event, the book suggested not drawing attention to yourself. Things as simple as driving a non-descript vehicle (a gray Honda Accord, perhaps), not putting bumper stickers or anything else on the car that would raise its profile; de-identifying all mail before throwing it out; no slogan type T shirts that would draw attention (uh, guilty! My "Everyone-who-believes-in-gun-control-raise-your-right-hand" T shirt with a depiction of Hitler doing his Nazi salute ...get 'em now at www.jpfo.org before they're all gone!), et cetera. Common sense, really...but apparently not for those cops on myspace...
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...get 'em now at www.jpfo.org before they're all gone!), et cetera. Common sense, really...but apparently not for those cops on myspace...
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