By law, public officials, including law enforcement, are afforded certain guarantees with regards to the protection of their privacy. While these specific mandates can vary from state to state, there are some generalities in the law – including when your right to protection expires.
The general consensus seems to be that once you’re a law enforcement officer, you are always a law enforcement officer. Provided an individual has simply retired from service, they are considered a member of the law enforcement community. Therefore, privacy in the public eye is secured. In most cases, the immediate family members of law enforcement are also protected.
Information that is protected under these laws includes:
- The home address or workplace address of a law enforcement officer, or that of their family members.
- The names of an officer’s children, except on employment related documents where they must be recorded.
- Phone numbers of law enforcement officers.
- Financial information.
Today, these pieces of information cannot be posted on the internet, nor can they be provided in print or be dictated in any forum that will violate privacy.