Connect with the Hollister Police Department

Hollister CommunicationThe Hollister Police Department uses multiple social media channels to share information with our community. We understand everyone doesn't use social media, so we also offer Nixle as an opt-in service as an alternate method to receive timely information from the department. 

Hollister Police Community AlertsNixle
To receive detailed, up-to-date information directly from the Hollister Police Department by email, sign up for Nixle alerts at Nixle.com and register for Hollister Police Department. Once logged in, go to settings and select the Alert, Advisory, and Community options. To receive text message mobile alerts only, text your zip (95023) code to 888777.

MYPD Placing your Police Department services at your fingertips!

The Hollister Police Department is using this app to provide you with better service and to improve communication with the citizens of Hollister. With this app, you can follow the latest tweets from Hollister PD, send anonymous tips, commend an officer, submit feedback, ask questions, get directions to the police station, and easily find officer contact information. The latest version now offers push notifications, so we can keep you updated with timely information, and also includes links to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and the US National Terror Advisory System (NTAS), so you can be aware and ready for any situation.

You can also report problems or give tips regarding parks and recreation, fire, streets, trees, sidewalks, abandoned vehicles, and general city-related issues.

All of the forms can be sent anonymously to the department, though we encourage an email address or phone number if you would like a response. Users also have the option to upload photos and GPS information with the app forms (for example, a parking issue or graffiti complaint).

As is the case with our other emails, online forms, and social media, this app is not for any type of emergency situation. The Hollister Police attempt to review all messages in a timely fashion but do not always actively monitor all messages and activity at all times.

The app developer, WiredBlue LLC, has more features planned for future releases. Any suggestions and feedback can be directed to the department by using the Questions & Feedback feature on the app with the topic "App Suggestions" or by emailing the app developer directly at info@wiredblue.co.

Cod Red
CodeRED is our new Emergency Notification system for Santa Cruz and San Benito counties. Click on the logo and register your cell phone number and email for instant notifications of Emergencies within San Benito and Santa Cruz Counties. 

Hollister Police Social Media 
Facebook
The Hollister Police Department has three official Facebook Pages:
Hollister Police Department
Hollister Police Animal Care & Services
Hollister Police Explorers

Instagram
The Hollister Police Department has three official Instagram accounts:
Hollister Police Department
Hollister Police Animal Care & Services
Hollister Police Cadets


Twitter
The Hollister Police Department has one official Twitter account:
Hollister Police Department

Hollister Police Social Media GuideSocial Media Guide for Parents (PDF File 289KB)
Guía de Medios de Comunicación Social para Los Padres (PDF File 447KB)
Source Federal Trade Commission

Social Networking Sites: A Parent's Guide

With a recent influx of social media websites influencing our daily lives, the Hollister Police Department has put together a list of best practices to help keep you and your family safe while using social media websites. The following information was obtained from several advocacy groups and agencies for the purposes of giving parent's answers to the common pitfalls that can occur while their children use social media websites.

“It's 10 p.m. Do you know where your children are?”
Remember that phrase from your own childhood? It's still a valid question, but now, it comes with a twist: “Do you know where your kids are — and who they're chatting with online?”

Social networking sites have morphed into a mainstream medium for teens and adults. These sites encourage and enable people to exchange information about themselves, share pictures and videos, and use blogs and private messaging to communicate with friends, others who share interests, and sometimes even the world-at-large. And that's why it's important to be aware of the possible problems that come with networking online.

Some social networking sites attract pre-teens — even kids as young as 5 or 6. These younger-focused sites don't allow the same kinds of communication that teens and adults have, but there are still things that parents can do to help young kids socialize safely online. In fact, when it comes to young kids, the law provides some protections — and gives parents some control over the type of information that children can disclose online. For sites directed to children under age 13, and for general audience sites that know they're dealing with kids younger than 13, there's the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). It requires these sites to get parental consent before they collect, maintain, or use kids' information. COPPA also allows parents to review their child's online profiles and blog pages. If a website is violating COPPA, report it to the Federal Trade Commission.

Parents sometimes can feel outpaced by their technologically savvy kids. Technology aside, there are lessons that parents can teach to help kids stay safer as they socialize online.

Help Kids Socialize Safely Online

The Hollister Police Department urges parents to talk to their children about social networking sites, and offers these tips for using social media websites safely:

• • Help your kids understand what information should be private. Tell them why it's important to keep some things — about themselves, family members and friends — to themselves. Information like their full name, Social Security number, street address, phone number, and family financial information — like bank or credit card account numbers — is private and should stay that way. Tell them not to choose a screen name that gives away too much personal information.
  • Use privacy settings to restrict who can access and post on your child's website. Some social networking sites have strong privacy settings. Show your child how to use these settings to limit who can view their online profile, and explain to them why this is important.
  • Explain that kids should post only information that you — and they — are comfortable with others seeing. Even if privacy settings are turned on, some — or even all — of your child's profile may be seen by a broader audience than you're comfortable with. Encourage your child to think about the language used in a blog, and to think before posting pictures and videos. Employers, college admissions officers, team coaches, and teachers may view your child's postings. Even a kid's screen name could make a difference. Encourage teens to think about the impression that screen names could make.
  • Remind your kids that once they post information online, they can't take it back. Even if they delete the information from a site, older versions may exist on other people's computers and be circulated online.
  • Know how your kids are getting online. More and more, kids are accessing the Internet through their cell phones. Find out about what limits you can place on your child's cell phone. Some cellular companies have plans that limit downloads, Internet access, and texting; other plans allow kids to use those features only at certain times of day.
  • Talk to your kids about bullying. Online bullying can take many forms, from spreading rumors online and posting or forwarding private messages without the sender's OK, to sending threatening messages. Tell your kids that the words they type and the images they post can have real-world consequences. They can make the target of the bullying feel bad, make the sender look bad — and, sometimes, can bring on punishment from the authorities. Encourage your kids to talk to you if they feel targeted by a bully.
  • Tell your kids to trust their gut if they have suspicions. If they feel threatened by someone or uncomfortable because of something online, encourage them to tell you. You can then help them report concerns to the police and to the social networking site. Most sites have links where users can immediately report abusive, suspicious, or inappropriate online behavior.
  • Read sites' privacy policies. Spend some time with a site's privacy policy, Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ), and parent sections to understand its features and privacy controls. The site should spell out your rights as a parent to review and delete your child's profile if your child is younger than 13.

A Few More Tips to Protect Pre-Teens

Many of the tips above apply for pre-teens, but parents of younger children also can:

• • Take extra steps to protect younger kids. Keep the computer in an open area like the kitchen or family room, so you can keep an eye on what your kids are doing online. Use the Internet with them to help develop safe surfing habits. Consider taking advantage of parental control features on some operating systems that let you manage your kids' computer use, including what sites they can visit, whether they can download items, or what time of day they can be online.
  • Go where your kids go online. Sign up for — and use — the social networking spaces that your kids visit. Let them know that you're there, and help teach them how to act as they socialize online.
  • Review your child's friends list. You may want to limit your child's online “friends” to people your child actually knows and is friendly with in real life.
  • Posting photographs should be considered permanently on the web. With advanced technology any photograph posted to social media websites can and most likely will be saved on several or many other computer systems that the original poster will not have access too. A good rule of thumb is prior to posting any photograph online is to ask yourself if you would want it published in a public forum (newspaper, television, etc)? If the answer is “no” than it should not be posted online.
  • Understand sites' privacy policies. Sites should spell out your rights as a parent to review and delete your child's profile if your child is younger than 13.

For More Information

To learn more about staying safe online, visit the websites of the following organizations:

Federal Trade Commissionwww.onguardonline.gov

The FTC works for the consumer to prevent fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair business practices in the marketplace and to provide information to help consumers spot, stop, and avoid them. To file a complaint or to get free information on consumer issues, visit ftc.gov or call toll-free, 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357); TTY: 1-866-653-4261. The FTC manages OnGuardOnline.gov, which provides practical tips from the federal government and the technology industry to help you be on guard against Internet fraud, secure your computer, and protect your personal information.

ConnectSafelywww.connectsafely.org

ConnectSafely is a forum for parents, teens, educators, and advocates designed to give teens and parents a voice in the public discussion about youth online safety, and has tips, as well as other resources, for safe blogging and social networking. Along with NetFamilyNews.org , it is a project of the non-profit Tech Parenting Group.

Cyberbully411www.cyberbully411.org

Cyberbully411 provides resources and opportunities for discussion and sharing for youth — and their parents — who have questions about or may have been targeted by online harassment. The website was created by the non-profit Internet Solutions for Kids, Inc., with funding from the Community Technology Foundation of California.

GetNetWisewww.getnetwise.org

GetNetWise is a public service sponsored by Internet industry corporations and public interest organizations to help ensure that Internet users have safe, constructive, and educational or entertaining online experiences. The GetNetWise coalition works to provide Internet users with the resources they need to make informed decisions about their and their family's use of the Internet.

Internet Keep Safe Coalitionwww.iKeepSafe.org

iKeepSafe.org is a coalition of 49 governors/first spouses, law enforcement, the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and other associations dedicated to helping parents, educators, and caregivers by providing tools and guidelines to promote safe Internet and technology use among children.

National Center for Missing and Exploited Childrenwww.missingkids.com ; www.netsmartz.org

NCMEC is a private, non-profit organization that helps prevent child abduction and sexual exploitation; helps find missing children; and assists victims of child abduction and sexual exploitation, their families, and the professionals who serve them.

Staysafe

Staysafe.org is an educational site intended to help consumers understand both the positive aspects of the Internet as well as how to manage a variety of safety and security issues that exist online.

Wired Safetywww.wiredsafety.org

WiredSafety.org is an Internet safety and help group. WiredSafety.org provides education, assistance, and awareness on cybercrime and abuse, privacy, security, and responsible technology use. It is also the parent group of Teenangels.org, FBI-trained teens and preteens who promote Internet safety.

Conclusion

The Hollister Police Departments Mission Statement is: In recognition of our duty, and to the best of our ability, we protect, serve and educate our community to positively impact its overall quality of life. We hope with this guide we can accomplish our mission in regards to social media and help you and your children to safely use social media. For questions and concerns feel free to contact Hollister Police Department at (831) 636-4330 or email us at info@police.hollister.ca.us.