Facebook: Friend or Foe?

Know what people are posting about you

Pay attention to what people are saying about you and the pictures they post. One way to do this is though Google searches. Google yourself on a regular basis and find out what information is out there about you. Be sure to include images and video as part of your search. When you are tagged in a picture on someone else's network page there is a good possibility it will come up in a search. It is not wise to have pictures up of sexual behaviors, being intoxicated, or any other compromising situations. Departments may Google their officers when there is an Internal Affairs Investigation, or when they are going for a new assignment or a promotion within the department. Be aware of video. If there is anything about you on YouTube.com, it had better be flattering and not call your personal judgment into question. That hilarious clip of you doing your sixth beer-bong at last year's toga-themed Christmas shift party? Maybe not so funny to the Chief when he is considering you as his next lieutenant!

When going for a new assignment or job

Consider disabling all social media accounts when you are looking for a job in law enforcement or a new assignment within the agency. The first thing employers in all fields do now is Google new recruits. What they find out about you may make the decision very easy for them.

Staying safe financially

Identity thieves are becoming savvy at using our information posted on social media sites. If your facebook page is open to public viewing an identity thief can gain your mother's maiden name or other information commonly used by your bank to identify information you thought was protected.

Also, if you do not personally know every one of your friends on your social media network, carefully consider what you post in regard to your physical location. Be careful about posting you are at a concert or on a vacation. It may give cue to the house burglar it is time to strike. Being a LEO you are a public figure and you most likely have made some enemies along the way. Do not assume every person on your friend list has good intentions.

Keep your romantic relationships safe & private

Never post your dirty laundry about your spouse or partner on a status update or a tweet. Even changing a relationship status from In a relationship to It's complicated can have negative consequences. First, it is disrespectful and embarrassing to your partner and/or spouse. Second, it is passive aggressive and will only feed the conflict. Third, it is too much information to dump on a social media site. Remember, friends and coworkers do make judgments about you based upon what you put up for public view. If you are a wife of a police officer it may give that badge bunny a reason to look at your man in blue.

Be wise about seeking out or including exes in your network. As a counselor, I am beginning to see emotional affairs with exes developing, with some leading to sexual encounters, as a result of facebook. If your marriage is going through a rough patch or you have already decided to break off the relationship, do not go seeking attention and validation from the opposite sex on facebook. Instead have the difficult conversations with your spouse/partner in person to start working on the solutions to repair the relationship. If you have decided it is over, do not break-up with them via text or leave chat rooms open for them to find. Do it face-to-face.

In closing, be wise about how you conduct yourself in public. Social media sites are not completely private and employers can hold you accountable for how you conduct yourself in public. As in anything, be safe out there and use wise judgment.