Department members shall adhere to all applicable restrictions pertaining to the use and dissemination of information obtained from a particular data file. Generally, information obtained from criminal justice information systems is restricted to law enforcement and criminal justice agencies for official business only. (See the Miscellaneous Administrative Procedures chapter of this manual for special regulations concerning the Dissemination of Criminal Record Information).
For the purposes of this chapter, access to and/or dissemination of information contained in criminal justice information systems is accomplished through the use of communications equipment. Unauthorized or unofficial use of Departmental communications equipment is prohibited. Refer to the subsection entitled "Use of Communications Equipment" in the Policy and Ethics chapter of this manual for additional information concerning this regulation.