LAFD Resumes Twitter Account Activity After 'Temporary Hiatus'
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Call it a short-lived social media sabbatical for the Los Angeles Fire Department.
KNX 1070's Claudia Peschiutta reports the LAFD has resumed its operations on Twitter following a self-imposed "hiatus".
LAFD Resumes Twitter Account Activity After 'Temporary Hiatus'
The official LAFD Twitter announced it was being placed on "temporary hiatus" at 1:39 a.m. early Thursday morning.
LAFD Capt. Jaime Moore said they were advised earlier this week that releasing information about the location of an incident or injuries suffered could violate a federal law meant to protect patient privacy, and that the Department could be held financially liable.
But following a statement from Mayor Eric Garcetti's office calling the move "ridiculous", Moore said the department will resume "business as normal" in providing patient health information.
"After further review and careful advisement under City Attorney Mike Feuer's counsel, the Los Angeles Fire Department has been advised that we can continue providing information to the media and to the general public as normal," said Moore.
A message posted on the LAFD Twitter account at 1:39 p.m. - exactly 12 hours after the initial announcement - read as follows: "We have received a directive from the City Atty Office to resume our "previous manner of operations". Things may take awhile to resume."
Prior to the reversal, the Los Angeles Times described the initial blackout as an "about-face" for the LAFD and a "major reduction in the information the department will release in response to requests for information by the media and the public under the California Public Records Act."
