To: All City Employees With Computer Access
From: Oscar K. Shelton, Personnel Director
Date: January 28, 2003
Re: Computer Usage Policy

Please be advised that the City is in the process of developing a comprehensive computer policy. Until that policy is finalized please be advised that there are several areas of concern about which all employees should be aware. First and foremost, the City's computer system, including its e-mail sub-system, is the property of the City. All business transacted on City computers should be for the benefit of the City and not for personal use. All e-mail, whether sent or received by an employee should be related to one's employment with the City. The City has the right to monitor employees' e-mail usage, including the content of individual e-mail messages, and employees may be disciplined for inappropriate e-mail usage. Also, all e-mail messages, even those that have been deleted from a computer's hard drive, are retained and saved for many months by the City's main e-mail computer servers.

Likewise, access to the Internet is provided to employees for business use only. The City reserves the right to monitor the websites visited by its employees. Employees utilizing the City's computers to access inappropriate websites may also be subject to discipline.

In this age of technology, it is difficult to foresee what the future will bring. The City has been very progressive in implementing these new tools to enable us to perform our jobs more efficiently. I trust that we can all use common sense and utilize this new technology in ways that are appropriate and effective and to the benefit of all of the employees and taxpayers of the City of Warwick.

Anyone with any questions on the appropriate use of the City's computers may contact me.

O.K.S.

 

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