Roadkill on the Information Highway.
Police officers, fire fighters, EMS workers, dispatchers, court personnel, hospital staff, teachers, public works personnel, and other public servants are making headline news and suffering career damaging injuries or career ending fatalities because of their postings on the internet. They’re also eroding public trust and hurting relations with their communities, other agencies, and funding sources – which makes their jobs tougher and, in some professions, more dangerous.
Telling these critical workers to “use common sense” or “don’t post anything on the internet you wouldn’t want to read in the newspaper” isn’t working. There are complicated issues involved and while the technology leaps ahead, the law lags behind.
Consider this:
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Do public employees have any 1st Amendment freedom of expression on the internet?
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Do they have any 4th Amendment expectation of privacy to what they post on the internet? What if it is privacy protected?
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Do they have different responsibilities and liabilities for what they post because of the critical, sensitive nature of their work? If so, what are they?
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Do their rights, responsibilities and liabilities depend on whether they are ON or OFF duty or using a work or personal computer or cell phone?
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What actions can their agencies take against them for their internet postings?
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Can their agencies require them to divulge passwords in order to view their internet footprint for hiring due diligence, job promotions, or evaluations?
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How are opposing counsel in criminal and civil litigation discovering their internet footprint and using it against them and their agencies?
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How can they place themselves and their families in physical danger with their internet postings?
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How can they protect themselves from becoming roadkill on the information highway?
This training answers these questions with real scenarios, provides what agencies need to do to get ahead of the technology and legal curve, and, most importantly, gets attendees thinking before they “click.”
Here’s what some who have attended Roadkill on the Information Highway have to say:
“As always, Ms. Van Brocklin is at the forefront of providing timely and relevant training. Her presentations are consistently engaging and thought-provoking. The importance of this topic cannot be overstated and should be considered mandatory training for new recruits and seasoned executives alike.” -Attendee, Alaska Police Standards Council Executive Leadership Conference
“As a cooperative effort between four Washington state risk pools, we brought Val to Washington state to enlighten, encourage, and motivate nearly 400 local government leaders. The feedback was exceptional. She was informative and entertaining in one! We had several requests to bring her back again so they could send more staff next time!” -Joanne Bisquera, Director of Member Services, Enduris
“Keep doing what you’re doing. I loved the class. Lots of energy and great eye opening info.” -Recruit, Alaska DPS Training Academy
“Val is 10 lbs. of energy in a 5 lb. package. She is fast paced with the perfect balance of humor and seriousness. Get your beauty sleep ahead of time because you will not be catching up on it during the class.” -Duncan McClane, Fire Chief, Whatcom Co., WA