Eric Atstupenas

Attorney Eric Atstupenas presently serves as the General Counsel for the Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association. He serves as a member at large on the IACP Legal Officers Section board, a member of the IACP Committee on Human and Civil Rights, associate member of the New England Association of Chiefs of Police and Central Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association and serves on the Board of Directors for the Municipal Police Institute, Inc., a non-profit organization dedicated to providing training to law enforcement in Massachusetts. Eric is the author of several law enforcement training materials and has been published in the IACP’s Police Chief magazine. Eric has also worked extensively with Eric Daigle, Esq., the owner of Daigle Law Group, LLC, as a law enforcement consultant and trainer.

“They Posted WHAT!?”: Policing the Police on Social Media

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In a previous article, entitled “They Said WHAT!?”: A Primer on Public Employee Freedom of Speech, discussed the basics of public employee free speech under the First Amendment.  This article will address the issue of how agencies may restrict employees from posting certain content on social media consistent with the First Amendment. The Test As a reminder, …

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“They Said WHAT!?”: A Primer on Public Employee Freedom of Speech

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The “freedom of speech” is clearly set forth in the First Amendment of the United States Constitution.[1] The freedom of speech is the right to articulate one’s opinions and ideas without fear of government retaliation or censorship, or societal sanction. The freedom of expression is oftentimes used synonymously with the freedom of speech which can cause …

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