Mission, Vision, Values

COVOST Mission:

The mission of the Colorado Virtual Operations Support Team (COVOST) is to lead and support the State of Colorado and our local Colorado communities through the innovative use of social media and other online tools.

COVOST Vision:

The vision of the Colorado Virtual Operations Support Team (COVOST) is to provide the State of Colorado and our local Colorado communities a powerful and effective team of trusted agents whose mission is to support public information, operations, and information gathering efforts through an innovatively effective, efficient and elegant use of social media and other online or ‘virtual’ tools.

COVOST Values:

The Colorado Virtual Operations Support Team’s continues to subscribe to the original values held by the preceding JeffcoVOST.  These values closely mirror the values of the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office.

Integrity - COVOST members will act in a manner that reflects the highest integrity – this includes behavior and actions taken in the real world as well as in the virtual world.

Innovation - COVOST members will engage the virtual world in an innovatively effective, efficient and elegant manner thereby offering the State of Colorado and our local communities the ability to fully benefit from the continuously changing virtual landscape.

Partnership - COVOST members will remain in close partnership with the State of Colorado (via the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management). The team will also maintain a close partnership with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office and any other local community that requests the activation of the COVOST. Finally, the COVOST will remain in close partnership with the broader VOST and SMEM communities.

Service - COVOST members will remember that their primary responsibility is to lead and support the State of Colorado and our local communities.  In this vein the COVOST will never act alone but will always act out of service to, and in direct partnership with, the State of Colorado and any local community for which it may be activated to support. 

Accountability - COVOST members will remain accountable for the information that they share or pass on. COVOST members will remain accountable to policies held by the State of Colorado and any local community that is being supported.  The COVOST will likewise remain accountable to established public information and Incident Command System (ICS) best practices, rules and regulations.