The International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) Model Policy on Social Media was developed by the IACP National Law Enforcement Policy Center to assist law enforcement agencies in establishing appropriate procedures and guidelines for both official department use of social media tools as well as personal use of social media tools by agency employees. This paper provides background information on the development of this policy to be used by law enforcement managers and executives to tailor a social media policy to meet the needs and circumstances of their agencies and communities. A department's social media policy should include discussion on how social media is used in investigations, community outreach and information, and recruitment and employment; and the department's rules for authorization and administration of department social media usage. A department's social media policy should also cover the legal aspects of social media usage: the first amendment and rights of public employees; personal uses of social networking that can be detrimental to the department; employee discipline for improper usage of social networking sites; and policies regarding freedom of information and record retention. A discussion is also included on public employees' personal use of social media sites. 37 endnotes