chipdeblock
09-14-2007, 01:25 AM
Greetings,
I am one of the two co-founders of LEOAFFAIRS.COM and wanted to drop in here to shed some light on a concern that pops up from time to time: Subpoenas and Your Safety Online.
LEOAFFAIRS.COM officially went online in October 2002, nearly 5 years ago. Since going online, WE HAVE NEVER BEEN FORCED TO TURN OVER ANY OF OUR USERS' INFORMATION, PERIOD! There have been some (not many) attempts by agencies and individuals to obtain users' IP addresses by subpoena, but they all met with negative results. The most famous of these attempts was that of the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office. They wanted to identify suspected employees who were violating internal policies by posting candid and non-flattering information about the HCSO and one particular investigation. We fought 4 major court battles on that one, the last of which occurred in the 2nd District Court of Appeal (under the Florida Supreme Court). The HCSO argued that certain First Amendment Rights did not extend to law enforcement officers. The judges disagreed and we never had to honor a subpoena. Our win in the 2nd DCA of Florida puts case law under our belt as well. The experience even earned us coverage on MSNBC and in The Washington Post. [FYI, we now have a great relationship with Sheriff David Gee and the HCSO]
Relax. If you post within our Terms of Use, you should be fine. We take the opportunity of Policing Ourselves very seriously and believe our system of Moderation is the best in the business. We are also committed to protecting your identities and your First Amendment Rights. Our attorney, Luke Lirot, is one of the best First Amendment attorneys in the country and is on call for us.
In closing, this website was started for the purpose of promoting Officer Rights and we will not abandon that endeavor. Read our bios and learn about who we are, where we've been and why we're here. We've got your back.
Thanks for your support, post and post often!
I am one of the two co-founders of LEOAFFAIRS.COM and wanted to drop in here to shed some light on a concern that pops up from time to time: Subpoenas and Your Safety Online.
LEOAFFAIRS.COM officially went online in October 2002, nearly 5 years ago. Since going online, WE HAVE NEVER BEEN FORCED TO TURN OVER ANY OF OUR USERS' INFORMATION, PERIOD! There have been some (not many) attempts by agencies and individuals to obtain users' IP addresses by subpoena, but they all met with negative results. The most famous of these attempts was that of the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office. They wanted to identify suspected employees who were violating internal policies by posting candid and non-flattering information about the HCSO and one particular investigation. We fought 4 major court battles on that one, the last of which occurred in the 2nd District Court of Appeal (under the Florida Supreme Court). The HCSO argued that certain First Amendment Rights did not extend to law enforcement officers. The judges disagreed and we never had to honor a subpoena. Our win in the 2nd DCA of Florida puts case law under our belt as well. The experience even earned us coverage on MSNBC and in The Washington Post. [FYI, we now have a great relationship with Sheriff David Gee and the HCSO]
Relax. If you post within our Terms of Use, you should be fine. We take the opportunity of Policing Ourselves very seriously and believe our system of Moderation is the best in the business. We are also committed to protecting your identities and your First Amendment Rights. Our attorney, Luke Lirot, is one of the best First Amendment attorneys in the country and is on call for us.
In closing, this website was started for the purpose of promoting Officer Rights and we will not abandon that endeavor. Read our bios and learn about who we are, where we've been and why we're here. We've got your back.
Thanks for your support, post and post often!