Chapter 1 - Administration - Monroe County Sheriff's Office

News media requests may be referred to thePublic Information Officer (PIO). If the request ishandled by the Major of the Bureau ofCorrections/designee, he or she should promptlynotify the PIO of the request.Throughout this process, staff will preserveoffenders' individual rights to privacy.Permission from the inmate must be obtainedbefore photographing or videotaping any inmatein the facilities. News media representativesmay be permitted to interview an inmate whenthe inmate consents to the interview and theMajor of the Bureau of Corrections determinesthat such interview shall not affect the orderlyoperations or security of the facility.Bureau of Corrections' employees, other thandesignated officials, will not comment to thenews media or publish original printed materialthat refers to the facility by name or inferencewithout appropriate training and prior writtenapproval from the Sheriff or the Major of theBureau of Corrections. Media calls will bedirected to the attention of the Shift Lieutenant,who will respond promptly, accurately, andhonestly to inquiries subject to the followingconditions:Comments will not be made pertaining tofacility policies or operations.Media contacts of any significance, such asthose from national news organizations willbe reported to the Monroe County Sheriff'sOffice PIO on the day of contact.Written InquiriesWritten communication is an important avenuefor educating the public, maintaining contact,and exchanging information with other parties.Executive correspondence from othergovernment agencies, legislative bodies, courts,law enforcement agencies, and news mediarepresentatives will be opened in the Major ofthe Bureau of Corrections’ Office and routed tothe appropriate party to draft a response.A written response will be prepared to all letterswithin three working days of receipt. In casesrequiring a significant delay in response, aninterim response will be provided.All incoming and outgoing executivecorrespondence and copies of thecorrespondence will be filed in the Major of theBureau of Corrections’ Office.News media correspondence will be answeredby the PIO.Telephone ContactsTelephone contacts from the courts, legislativebodies, and other agencies will be routed to theShift Lieutenant.Institutional EmergenciesIn the event of an institutional emergency, allpublic and media access to the facility may belimited. Under such circumstances, the Major ofthe Bureau of Corrections will identify a pressspokesperson who periodically will brief allmedia representatives on the situation. A mediabriefing center may be established away fromthe area of tactical operations and staff traffic.BOC - 1:005 Date of Original: Jan 1994 2Previous Revision Date(s): 9/15/99Dissemination Date: 6/1/11 Effective Date: 6/9/11