Ohio State Highway Patrol limits trooper use of Web sites

COLUMBUS (AP) — A union lawyer plans to challenge new restrictions on the use of personal and social networking Web sites by Ohio State Highway Patrol officers.

If troopers want to mention their jobs on those sites or post pictures of themselves in uniform, superiors must first have a look.

Ohio State Troopers Association attorney Herschel Sigall calls the rules “stupid” and says they violate free speech.

Patrol spokesman Lt. Tony Bradshaw said Monday the policy will be reviewed. A lawyer for the Ohio Department of Public Safety says it ought to be suspended in the meantime.

The rules were enacted in July after an internal investigation concluded a trooper had posted inappropriate photos of a sexual nature on a MySpace page identifying herself as a patrol member.