CITY OF LODI

                            ADMINISTRATIVE POLICY AND PROCEDURE MANUAL

SUBJECT:                                           :           ELECTRONIC MEDIA USE - Policy

DATE ISSUED:                                   :           December 11, 2000

SECTION:                                           :           E

REFERENCE:                                     :          

SECTION 1:                                        PURPOSE

                                                            This policy addresses the use of Electronic Media by all City of Lodi employees.

SECTION 2:                                        DEFINITION

                                                            This policy applies to Electronic Media, and all documents, recordings, and other data contained in or recoverable from such media, used within the City.

                                                            A.        Electronic Media.  Electronic Media includes all types of electronic equipment, such as telephones, computers, computer peripherals, photocopy machines, fax machines, computer software, laptops, voice mail, electronic mail (e-mail), Internet access, World Wide Web access, online information service, and any other electronic type of equipment that the City deems as Electronic Media.

                                                            B.         Information.  Information consists of messages, communications, e-mails, files, records, recordings images, graphics, transmissions, signals, programs, software, and any other data used in any way with Electronic Media.

C.        Use.  Use is the operation or application of Electronic Media to affect information in any way.  Examples include using Electronic Media to search, produce, calculate, forward, print, publish, receive, recover, send, transmit, apply, run, control, download, upload, record, copy, rename, access, alter, delete, erase or store any information

                                                            D.        City and Personal Equipment.  This policy applies to all Electronic Media provided by the City, as well as Electronic Media used on City property for City business purposes.

SECTION 3:                                        POLICY

                                                            The City of Lodi supports the use of technology to improve customer service, promote public participation in local government, increase staff productivity, reduce operating costs and facilitate collaborate government-related work.

                                                            Universal service and access to technology for all residents are a priority for the City of Lodi.  The City encourages employee use of Electronic Media when it enhances service, work productivity, research capabilities and other benefits to the City.

                                                            Electronic Media are provided for the use of City employees for City business-related purposes.  As with all City resources, Electronic Media are provided for City business only, and should not be used for any extraneous commercial, political, or religious purposes unless otherwise specifically authorized by the City Manager.

SECTION 4:                                        USE OF ELECTRONIC MEDIA

A.        Privacy.  Employees have the right to know that information they use is not confidential or private.  All of the City’s Electronic Media and information relating to these Electronic Media are City property.  Although employees have passwords that restrict access to their computers, the City reserves the right to access this information.  While Electronic Media files and information will not be monitored as a routine matter, the City reserves the right to do so without prior notification.  By way of example, the City may electronically scan mail messages for the presence of specific content such as viruses or passwords and to maintain system integrity.  The City will also respond to legal processes and fulfill any obligations to third parties.

                                                            Only Department Heads or higher can authorize the reading of electronic media information for employees under their supervision.  Unauthorized monitoring or reading of the City’s systems or their contents violates this City policy.

                                                            It should be noted that even though information or files may have been deleted from Electronic Media, it does not mean they have been permanently erased from the system.

                                                            In addition to the foregoing provisions, employee should be aware that certain kinds of Electronic Media Information may be subject to record retention requirements or disclosure, either as “public records” or pursuant to discovery in litigation.

                                                            B.         E-mail.  The City’s policy on privacy and Electronic Media applies to e-mail.  E-mail is a fast and convenient way to communicate.  Its use is encouraged throughout the City.  The ease with which e-mail facilitates communication can often lead to problems: the recipient of a message can forward it to any number of other individuals and messages may accidentally be delivered to the wrong recipient.  The possibility of such events necessitates that employees exercise care when composing and sending e-mail messages.

                                                            C.        Online Information Service Use.  Periods of access to online information services such as the Internet and the World Wide Web should be kept to a reasonable amount of time, as determined by the Department Head.  As with all City resources, online access is provided for City business only, and should not be used for any extraneous commercial, political, or religious purposes unless otherwise specifically authorized by a Department Head.

                                                            D.        Software Installation.  With a shared wide-area network (WAN), the installation of software on one part of the WAN has the potential to affect other users on the WAN.  Computer viruses are of particular concern.  Additionally, the law requires that all software residing on any City computer must be licensed.  In order to maintain network security, improve reliability, ensure that software is licensed, and reduce the potential of introducing a computer virus, employees must receive approval from their Department Head and/or Information System Director before adding software programs to City computers.

                                                            E.         Copyright Protection.  Under most circumstances, it is illegal to reproduce or distribute copyrighted information without permission from the copyright owner.  These copyright laws are applicable to much of the information available over the internet.  The City and its employees are required to abide by the federal copyright laws and to abide by all licensing agreements.

SECTION 5:                                        APPROPRIATE USES OF ELECTRONIC MEDIA

                                                            Appropriate uses of Electronic Media for City business purposes include, but are not limited to, the following:

·        to perform tasks assigned by the supervisor or Department Head;

·        to enhance performance of job functions;

·        to facilitate communication of information within the City of Lodi;

·        to coordinate meetings of individuals, locations and resources of the City of Lodi;

·        to communicate with outside organizations as required in order to perform an employee’s job function;

·        to provide educational opportunities during non-business hours and with prior approval from Department Head.

SECTION 6:                                        UNACCEPTABLE USES OF ELECTRONIC MEDIA

                                                            Prohibited uses of Electronic Media include, but are not limited to, the following:

·        activities illegal under local, state and/or federal law;

·        anything that may be construed as harassment or disparagement of others based on the guidelines established in the City of Lodi Discrimination Policy and Sexual Harassment Policy ( see Discrimination Policy or Sexual Harassment policy for description);

·        fund raising, soliciting or other religious or commercial activities that are not specifically related to City government activities;

·        sabotage (e.g. intentionally disrupting network traffic, crashing the network, intentionally introducing a computer virus, etc);

·        unauthorized access to others’ files or vandalizing the data of another user;

·        forging electronic mail messages or any other form of communication;

·        personal use such as chain letters; and jokes;

·        inappropriate use which is deemed by the City to be a violation of the intended use of any of the Electronic Media;

·        any attempts to probe, scan or test the vulnerability of internal or external systems or networks or to breach security or authentication measures without express authorization.

                                                            The use of music and video functions via the Internet are a drain on the systems capabilities and are therefore not permitted.

SECTION 7:                                        VIOLATIONS OF POLICY

                                                            Violations of this policy will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis and may result in disciplinary action, up to and including discharge.