The Penn Hills Police Department uses social media to communicate with the public, provide timely information, promote transparency, support community engagement, and further the department’s public-safety mission. The department maintains official accounts on Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), and LinkedIn.
NOT A METHOD FOR REQUESTING POLICE ASSISTANCE
Penn Hills Police Department social media accounts are not monitored continuously and should not be used to report crimes, emergencies, suspicious activity, or other matters requiring a police response.
To report a crime, request a police officer, or obtain police assistance, call 9-1-1. If you are unable to safely make a voice call, the Allegheny County Emergency Services 9-1-1 Center also permits SMS text messages to 9-1-1. Whenever possible, calling 9-1-1 is preferred.
Messages or comments submitted through social media do not constitute the filing of a police report and should not be relied upon to request police assistance.
INFORMATION POSTED BY THE DEPARTMENT
The Penn Hills Police Department uses social media to provide information concerning department activities, public safety matters, emergencies, community events, crime prevention, investigations, employment opportunities, and other matters relevant to the community.
We make reasonable efforts to ensure information is accurate when published. However, information concerning developing incidents and investigations may be preliminary and may change as additional facts become available. When appropriate and practicable, the department will update previously released information.
The department will exercise reasonable care to avoid publishing information when disclosure is prohibited by law or could reasonably jeopardize an investigation, public safety, or the safety of officers, victims, witnesses, or other persons.
PUBLIC COMMENTS AND COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION
The Penn Hills Police Department welcomes public participation and recognizes that social media provides an important opportunity for members of the community to communicate with their police department and with one another.
Where public commenting is enabled, the interactive portions of our social media pages are intended as limited public forums for discussion related to the subject matter of the department’s post and the department’s governmental and public safety activities.
Comments posted by members of the public represent the views of the individual users who submitted them. They do not represent the views of the Penn Hills Police Department, the Municipality of Penn Hills, or their employees, and their appearance on a department social media page does not constitute an endorsement or verification of their accuracy.
The department may respond to questions or comments when appropriate, but we cannot guarantee a response to any social media communication.
COMMENT MODERATION
The Penn Hills Police Department respects the First Amendment rights of those who participate on our social media pages. Comments will not be hidden or removed merely because they criticize, disagree with, or express an unfavorable opinion of the Penn Hills Police Department, the Municipality, its officials, its employees, or its policies.
When moderation is necessary, these guidelines will be applied without regard to the viewpoint expressed.
Subject to applicable law and the capabilities of the social media platform, the department may hide or remove content that:
- Is clearly unrelated to the subject matter of the department post or the purpose of the forum;
- Constitutes a true threat, incitement to imminent unlawful activity, or other speech not protected by the First Amendment;
- Contains legally obscene material or pornography;
- Unlawfully discloses confidential, legally protected, or private identifying information;
- Contains malicious software, malicious links, or other content intended to interfere with or compromise an information system;
- Constitutes spam, including substantially identical content posted repeatedly within a short period of time;
- Consists primarily of commercial advertising or solicitation unrelated to the subject of the discussion;
- Infringes another person’s copyright, trademark, or other intellectual-property rights when the department has a sufficient legal basis to determine that an infringement has occurred; or
- Fraudulently impersonates another person or organization in a manner that violates applicable law.
The fact that a comment contains criticism, disagreement, profanity, an unpopular opinion, or language that some users may consider offensive does not, standing alone, make the comment subject to removal under these guidelines.
The department asks all participants to communicate respectfully and to exercise appropriate judgment and courtesy when interacting with others.
BLOCKING OR RESTRICTING USERS
The Penn Hills Police Department generally will not block or ban a user from an official social media account merely because the user criticizes the department, its employees, public officials, or governmental policies.
When reasonably available, the department will use measures directed toward the specific content that violates these guidelines rather than restricting a user’s access to the entire account.
A user may be blocked or otherwise restricted only when permitted by law and when reasonably necessary to address repeated or serious violations of these guidelines, automated spam, malicious activity, threats, or comparable circumstances. Any such restriction will be imposed without regard to the user’s viewpoint and may be reviewed periodically to determine whether continued restriction remains appropriate.
Content and moderation activity may be retained as required by applicable law and records retention requirements.
PUBLIC RECORDS AND PRIVACY
Social media is a public form of communication. Users should not post information they wish to keep private, including sensitive personal, financial, medical, or identifying information.
Department posts, public comments, messages, moderation records, and other social media content may constitute public records and may be retained or disclosed as required by the Pennsylvania Right-to-Know Law, applicable records retention schedules, court order, or other law.
A social media comment or message does not constitute a formal Right-to-Know Law request, legal notice, service of legal process, or other filing that is required by law to be submitted through a particular method.
THIRD-PARTY PLATFORMS AND LINKS
Penn Hills Police Department social media accounts operate on platforms owned and controlled by private companies. Users are also subject to the applicable platform’s terms of service, privacy policies, and community standards.
Those companies may independently remove content, restrict accounts, display advertisements, recommend content, or take other actions over which the Penn Hills Police Department has no control.
Advertisements, suggested content, third-party links, or other material appearing on or near a department social media page do not constitute an endorsement by the Penn Hills Police Department or the Municipality of Penn Hills.
The department likewise does not endorse a person, organization, product, service, or viewpoint merely because the department links to or shares information from an outside source.
CHANGES TO THESE GUIDELINES
The Penn Hills Police Department may revise these guidelines as necessary to account for changes in law, technology, department practices, or the policies and functionality of social media platforms. The current version will be maintained on the official Penn Hills Police Department website.
Date of Last Revision: October 6, 2026
