Many of these policies were developed with the help of press associations and media organizations, and others were formulated by police alone. These guidelines address release of information to the media, access to crime scenes and issuance of press credentials. They often state that the police department will release all information in a manner that does not jeopardize an individual's rights, impair prosecution or impede the law enforcement process.
Guidelines vary on the issue of access to crime scenes.
The St. Petersburg, Fla. police press guidelines favor media access. News representatives are not to be considered as the general public in the area of an incident or crime scene, but as persons who must fulfill their assigned tasks. The guidelines also say that if the crime scene is on private property, the press has the right to remain in the area unless the owner of the property explicitly denies the media permission to enter. Conversely, guidelines for the Elkhart County, Ind. Sheriff's Department discourage the media from entering the scenes of crimes or disasters. This access may only be granted by the sheriff.