Privacy Policies
Website - Thank you for visiting the City of Winchester, Virginia website. We are committed to the privacy of the visitors to this website. The City's website privacy policy addresses the collection, use and security of information that may be obtained through use of the City of Winchester website, and access to that information (pursuant to the requirements stated in Section 2.0-380(B), of the Code of Virginia, 1950, as amended).
Electronic Newsletter Subscriptions - Please be advised that your request to receive any of Winchester’s E-Newsletters places your email into a database maintained by the City of Winchester for that purpose. This database, including the email you provide, is considered a public record and is subject to disclosure to third parties upon request.
Social Media Public Comment Policy
The City of Winchester engages customers through many digital outlets, including winchesterva.gov, our knowledgebase and online service request program. Communicating with the City through social media further enables customers to contact the City of Winchester in a direct and meaningful way.
The goal of the City of Winchester social media pages is to be a helpful medium that is conducive to real-time discussions and useful feedback. Some of the City’s social media pages allow public interaction in the form of comments.
Please be aware that when engaging with the City of Winchester through social media, you are agreeing to the following:
- The City of Winchester shares information, images and video with the public through external social media websites. Comments made by the public to these sites are reviewed and, while comments will not be edited by City personnel, a comment may be deleted or hidden if it violates the comment policy described below (subject to amendment or modification at any time):
- Obscene, indecent or profane language, pictures and/or videos
- Threats, personal attacks or defamatory statements
- Hate speech directed at race, color, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, ethnicity, age, religion or disability
- Fraudulent, deceptive or misleading information
- Comments not related to the posted topic for the City of Winchester social media page or post
- Multiple successive off-topic posts by a single user or repetitive posts copied and pasted by multiple users, or spam
- Promotion or endorsement of services and products
- Comments advocating illegal activity or posting of material that violates copyrights or trademarks of others
- Violate any local, state or federal laws and/or otherwise unlawful
- Campaign materials promoting or opposing an individual in an election for political office
Users are welcome to submit or post content, including photographs and videos, to an official City site where users are allowed to post comments, however, the content must meet the standards articulated in this policy and pertain to the subject of the social media site. Users may only post their own, original content. Reproduced or borrowed content that reasonably appears to violate third-party rights will be deleted. Users should have no expectation of privacy when posting to a City site.
Questions or concerns about the above policies and practices should be submitted to pio@winchesterva.gov.
Promotion of Non-City Programs on City of Winchester Communication Channels
Source: City’s Employee Management System (CEMS)
The City of Winchester uses a variety of communication media to provide information to and solicit feedback from the community, such as:
- Social Media (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, etc.)
- Cable channel 6
- City’s official website
- Electronic newsletters
Information regarding non-City programs will not be published on City-maintained media unless:
- there is significant investment of City resources;
- the City is a sponsor or co-sponsor of the program or event; or
- the information is intended to inform residents of policies and programs of other governmental agencies having jurisdiction in the city.
Communications Policy
Click here to view the City's Communications Policy.
Media Policy
The City Manager or his/her designee shall be the official staff spokesperson for the City and shall act as the Public Information Officer (PIO) unless otherwise designated. In accordance with Police Department policies and procedures, the Chief of Police or his/her designee, shall handle inquiries concerning criminal investigations.
All information and interview requests from media representatives should be directed to the City’s Communications Department.
| All City Departments | Winchester Police & Fire and Rescue | Parks & Recreation | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Amy Simmons | Caitlin Squires | Maggie McCampbell Lien |
| Title | Communications Director | Communications Manager | Communications Manager |
| Phone | (540) 535-3659 | (540) 667-1815, ext. 1440 | (540) 662-4946 |
| Mobile | (540) 532-9503 | (540) 336-6387 | (540) 450-4640 |