Our Facebook Posting Rules

With the popularity of our Facebook Page - we want to share with you our page posting, and comment rules.  These rules are here to help protect the identity of those involved and the integrity of GHScanner.  Anyone can post to our Facebook Wall incident tips, questions, and information.  But we would like to make sure that everyone understands our stance on the following, and violation of these can result in temporary or permanent banning.: NOTE - GHScanner Staff reserves the right to remove comments, hide comments and or threads on a case by case basis.  

A - Grays Harbor Scanner Team Postings.  The Grays Harbor Scanner staff will always attempt to follow the same rules as our public commenting and posting rules, however, reserve the right to make adjustments due to circumstance and need for particular postings.  March 2022 the Grays Harbor Scanner Team will post incidents near the end, or the end of incidents that could post risk to emergency responders.  This can include Structure fires (to many people driving to see them), police pursuits, police standoffs, traffic collision (people giving out too much information) and so forth.  Grays Harbor Scanner remains committed to providing the community with information on what's happening and will remain doing so.  The GHScanner App Alerts subscription notification program will remain unchanged and instant alerts will be done when we have staffing monitoring for activity and will be sent without delay.  

1. Privacy: Never will names be posted on alerts and incident tips UNLESS released by the media, or agencies in request for an attempt to locate, or have been previously authorized for the name to be released. Those involved in the incident or family of, that wish to identify themselves releases us, and those who comment further from this rule as they opted to identify themselves.  ** Updated 7/15/2021 Except in case where officers have had to terminate a pursuit for reasons of Public Safety where fleeing individuals have chosen to put lives of others around them in danger and at risk of injury or death by their actions either from a minor infraction to major felony, 

2. Incident Addresses:  If possible, only street name, cross streets or block numbers will be released and not the actually physical address - UNLESS released by the media, or agencies in request for an attempt to locate, or have been previously authorized for the address to be released.  Those involved in the incident or family of, that wish to identify the location releases us, and those who comment further from this rule as they opted to identify themselves. 

3. Move by Move Updates: please keep certain incident comments to just general comments and not move by move.  Active SWAT calls, Negotiation Incidents, Warrant Sweeps, Foot Pursuits, Man Hunts etc ...  Example - We may post that there is an active negotiation going on in the 400 block of E Euckland in Hoquiam.  At that point the move by move should no longer be posted in comments, other than major updates.  We want to avoid posting photos that will show officer positions, or equipment deployed, giving away tactical information.  Foot pursuits, the incident may be posted, with updates to what the call was and is about - however a move by move comment with officer details will not be posted.  We believe in informing the public what is going on in their area, but officer safety as well. 

4. Medical Incidents - We will not be posting medical incident calls - UNLESS it hinders traffic, created a disturbance or is in a major business.  ALSO, UNLESS released by the media, or agencies in a request for an attempt to locate, or have been previously authorized for released. Medical incidents may be posted to our website, as opposed to the Facebook page

5. Slander: No slandering, curse words or anti' posts will be acceptable and can be deleted.

6. Posting in all caps: Posting a new post or comment in all caps is considered screaming. Please treat our readers, and our admins, with respect and post your comments and new posts properly with lower case type and proper capitalization.  All cap posts can and most likely will be deleted. 

7. Instigating arguments:  Posts that instigate arguments, nag at the poster or try to defy one of our administrators, call our posts into question for argument's sake will not be tolerated.  The post will be removed, and the person banned.  Depending on the offense, the person may be contacted about their violation and given the opportunity to rectify the situation. If an admin removes your comment or hides it - there is a reason for it (most likely against the rules) Please do not argue, fight about or repost the comment to defy the deletion/hide.  You may contact us by private message, or through our website to discuss your issue privately. 

8. Minor Incidents: Unless asked what is going on, we will not be posting minor incidents, such as theft from a store, or caller request contact for a barking dog for just example - there are other cases this may apply to. 

 

9. Traffic Accidents - Dont ask what kind of vehicle is or was involved  Most times that information is not shared over the radio. Posting of vehicle description is not allowed.  It was asked in the past by a request from the Police Chiefs Association and WSP that pages and media outlets not post vehicle descriptions to protect the integrity of the investigation and potential pre-notification to the family members. No names, plates etc... ALSO, UNLESS released by the media, or agencies in a request for an attempt to locate, or have been previously authorized for  released. 

10. photographs are allowed to be posted, as long as the photo is gotten from street view and something that would normally have been seen without having to violate privacy, or personal property.  Please try and post the photos after the incident if at all possible.  Photos posted during an incident may be hidden by our staff until after the incident has been cleared, and then they will unhide them. 7/15/2021 Except in case where officers have had to terminate a pursuit for reasons of Public Safety where fleeing individuals have chosen to put lives of others around them in danger and at risk of injury or death by their actions either from a minor infraction to major felony, 


11. HOUSE AND STRUCTURE FIRES:  Please no exact address. Descriptions are allowed, block numbers and cross streets are allowed  UNLESS released by the media, or agencies in a request for an attempt to locate, or have been previously authorized for the address to be released. photographs are allowed to be posted, as long as the photo is gotten from street view and something that would normally have been seen without having to violate privacy or personal property.  Please try and post the photos after the incident if at all possible. 

12. Runaway Teens and KidsUpdated 12/1/2018 ** We are changing our rules regarding Runaway posts and sharing them. If you are needing to post a runaway ATL you will need to 1 ** Do Not Post an Image Of Child Or Teen **. 2. Is this child missing or runaway or possible runaway. Do not say missing when in all cases they ran away (there is a difference). 2. Has a police report been made, and what agency. 3. Name of child (first and last). 4. Last seen where, and how long has been missing. Give a bit of details. We will then share it to the page if all information is included. ** The reason for no picture is that if the teen reports the picture as his or hers to Facebook, our admins can get suspended from Facebook. They did that to us once and it is no fun. We think we can get around this if we do not use pictures. **

13. LOST Animals:  Post photos of your lost animal with description of where and when they went missing and complete contact information to recover, or to get ahold of person posting is needed.  In dire needs, we may share the post as main news, but not in all cases. NOTE:  Not all lost and found pets will be moved to the main wall.  We can and will in dire situations, but due to the large number of posts of this nature we cant flood our main wall with lost and found animals.  We will do our best to direct people to the "PTP" section when we can. 

14. Posting and sharing Links: We do encourage posting links of news articles that are related to the threads discussed.  Preferably, posting them into the same thread that the original discussion was made and not a new thread. Links, and shares of other Facebook pages, groups, websites that direct others to somewhere else are NOT ALLOWED in Threads and new posts.  We recognize that there may be some great resources out there, but to cut down and keep spam out of the page, we have made this strict rule.  In the past, we have had people come to our page and try to get their "plug" in for their page because, yes, we reach a huge number of people.  But if we allow one plug we have to allow them all.  And well, you know, once we start allowing them, then that is all the threads turn into is - Directing people elsewhere and that is not what our page is about.  When Admins share a post, from another group or authorize one to be share that is allowed. 

15.  No bashing of police, fire and ems personnel.  This has been a long-standing rule of GHS.  We do not allow bashing of police, fire and ems personnel no matter what.  It doesn't matter what the call is, why you are commenting against officers or fire personnel, we just do not allow it.  You can and most likely will be banned from further commenting if you do so.  3/13/2022 - Unless information posted by the GHScanner Staff and is verified, information showing wrong doing. 

16. Re-posting of GHS Subscriber Content to the page. With our new subscriber features and early release content, it is NOT allowed to copy and paste that content back to the page to make it public and circumvent the supporter feature. 

17. Taking GHS Subscriber Content, Sharing it To Your Own -  Per use and agreement of the GHScannerf App taking our subscriber content and posting it to your fan page, or group (Private page excluded) can and will get you banned from our page and future app services. 

18.  Questions sent to us in PM (Subscriber Content).  We always try and respond to messages to our page.  If it is regarding a current incident that we have not posted to the page, the person will be informed of such and that we will post the information as soon as possible.  We cannot always answer questions to the page about road conditions, what is happening here or there however will always do our best. 

This page can be updated as time goes.  So please revisit it if you are in doubt if it is allowed. 

 

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