These social media platforms are monitored and managed by the PCSO Office of Communications. They are considered limited public forums and therefore the following policies and conditions apply:

• Postings and comments on these platforms constitute acceptance of these terms.
• In case of emergency, or if you need police assistance, dial 911 - Do NOT use social media to report crime. To report crime dial 863-298-6200.
• If you post information related to a crime on social media, you may be placing yourself in the position of becoming a witness to a crime and subject yourself to subpoena and in certain situations endangering yourself or others.
• “Friending” between Polk County Sheriff’s Office members and a citizen does not indicate endorsement of that person’s actions or comments.
• Comments posted by others on the Polk County Sheriff’s Office social media sites are not to be considered the opinion of the agency; nor does Polk County Sheriff’s Office endorse any third-party comments.
• The Polk County Sheriff’s Office reserves the right to remove and/or block anyone, with or without notice, who posts inappropriate material or violates these posted social media content policies as determined by the Office of Communications staff.
• The Polk County Sheriff’s Office does not allow posting of photos or videos by anyone other than members of the Polk County Sheriff’s Office.
• If you have photos or videos you’d like to share, contact the Office of Communications at 863-298-6904.

The Polk County Sheriff’s Office welcomes a person’s right to express his/her opinion and encourages posters to keep comments civil and related to the posted content. The Polk County Sheriff’s Office reserves the right to hide or remove any comments, or block or ban users who violated the Polk County Sheriff's Office social media posting policies.

The following types and categories of comments and posts are not allowed on PCSO social media pages:

• Inappropriate, offensive, or sexually explicit
• Defame, abuse, harass, stalk, threaten or violate the legal rights of others 
• Include racism, hatred, slander, threats, obscenity, violence, vulgarity
• Constitute trolling (deliberately provoking others or maliciously harassing, attacking, or cyberbullying others)
• Spam or disruptively repetitive content
• Advertising

• Posts from fake social media profiles or accounts

• Could harm the safety or well-being of one of our employees, including personal attacks
• Are off-topic or not related to the content within the post, or any content posted on the platform
• Contain links to websites


Users may be restricted from accessing our social media platforms if they repeatedly violate this policy, with or without notice. To contact the PCSO Office of Communications about our social media channels, call 863-298-6904, or email PIOs@polksheriff.org.