Outcry over a Happy Halloween
Tuesday
Posted Nov 22, 2016 at 12:09 PM'
The recent Haines Square Halloween Community Day festival
event — wherein two Medford police officers were pictured with a
Halloween-costumed person dressed up in an orange prison costume — has
taken on a life of its own.
Earlier this year, Mayor Burke admonished a Medford policeman
for his off-duty, private-time sharing of a Facebook post. Her first
response was to take the issue to the Boston media, making the officer
and the police department an embarrassment instead of allowing the
police chief to handle the matter. She stated back then that she was
putting a sensitivity policy in place that would guide all municipal
employees, including her office, on the use of social media postings.
That was back in March of this year. Mayor Burke has yet to put any policy in place.
And now Mayor Burke has once again made a “media story” out of a shared Halloween photo. How do you punish or criticize any employee when there’s no employee policy in place for social media postings and for any “picture taking with a police officer” or any other city employee?
—Robert M. Penta is a former member of the Medford City Council
That was back in March of this year. Mayor Burke has yet to put any policy in place.
And now Mayor Burke has once again made a “media story” out of a shared Halloween photo. How do you punish or criticize any employee when there’s no employee policy in place for social media postings and for any “picture taking with a police officer” or any other city employee?
—Robert M. Penta is a former member of the Medford City Council
