Videos of a Kissimmee Police Department detective advertising products for sale on TikTok while dressed in her uniform are being reviewed by the agency for potential policy violations, News 6 has learned.
Millyan Lagares, a detective who works in the department’s Major Crimes Unit, manages a personal TikTok account that includes videos of her private and professional activities.
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Like many law enforcement agencies, the Kissimmee Police Department allows employees to express themselves as private citizens on social media sites if the content does not negatively impact their official duties or the agency.
Several of Lagares’s TikTok videos show her promoting personal care products that can be purchased directly through the social media site.
“I’m going to have a link down below for you guys on my TikTok shop,” Lagares said in one of the videos advertising a bottle of perfume.
In most of those promotional videos, Lagares wears casual clothing and does not identify herself as a law enforcement officer.
But Lagares’s TikTok page recently featured a video of the detective dressed in her Kissimmee Police Department uniform while advertising a deodorant spray.
“I found something that’s actually going to remove odors instead of masking them,” Lagares said while pointing to a bottle of Arrest My Vest, a deodorant designed for law enforcement equipment. “I use it on shoes. Tactical items. Pet gear. Anything that traps odors, really.”
The Kissimmee Police Department seal on Lagares’s shirt and vest is clearly visible throughout the minute-long promotional video.
“If you guys are interested, I’m going to have a link down below,” Lagares said on the TikTok video while gesturing towards an icon of a shopping cart. “If you see the orange cart, that means it’s still available.”
Although the TikTok website indicated Lagares was “eligible for commission”, it is unclear how much money she could have potentially earned for each $18 bottle of deodorant spray that was sold.
Another TikTok video advertising specialty eyeglasses featured multiple photos of Lagares wearing the product while in dressed in her police uniform or displaying her gold badge.
“As someone who stares at the screen all day trust you need these!” stated a caption on the video that also included emojis of a police car and a smiley face wearing eyeglasses.
Lagares did not respond to multiple messages from News 6 sent to her personal email address displayed on the TikTok page.
Less than an hour after News 6 contacted Lagares and the Kissimmee Police Department with questions about the TikTok page, the videos promoting the deodorant spray and eyeglasses disappeared from the social media site.
Days later, most other TikTok videos showing Lagares dressed in her police uniform or displaying her badge were no longer visible.
“The information you provided is being reviewed for potential policy violations,” a Kissimmee Police Department spokesperson told News 6 in response to questions about the TikTok videos.
According to the agency’s policy, employees are “free to express themselves as private citizens on social media sites to the degree that their speech does not impair the working relationships of this agency, impede the performance of duties, impair discipline and harmony among coworkers, or negatively affect the public perception of the agency.”
Under the policy, speech deemed detrimental to the agency may form the basis for discipline.
“Agency members may not make any statements, speeches, appearances, endorsements, or publish materials that could reasonably be considered to represent views or positions of this agency without written permission from the Chief or their designee,” the social policy states.
Employees are “cautioned” to avoid displaying agency logos, uniforms or similar identifying information on personal social media pages “for safety and security reasons”.
A separate agency policy requires employees to obtain approval before participating in outside employment.
The Kissimmee Police Department spokesperson did not respond to questions from News 6 inquiring whether permission was required for employees to operate a TikTok store and, if so, whether Lagares had applied for approval.
Law enforcement agencies in Florida and nationwide have occasionally disciplined employees for social media posts that violate policies.
An Orange County deputy sheriff received a three-week suspension in 2021 after the agency said she posted TikTok videos that showed her dancing to explicit music while dressed in uniform.
The International Association of Chiefs of Police published guidance to law enforcement agencies about social media use in 2019.
“Social media site content may be used by defense attorneys to impugn a person’s reputation or show bias,” the association’s report states. “Agency employees must be made aware of the fact that, regardless of privacy settings, the pictures, videos, and text they post online could be made available to individuals for whom it was not intended.”
The Kissimmee Police Department did not immediately share information about Lagares’s employment history.
In one of the now-removed TikTok videos, Largares said she has worked in law enforcement for nearly four years. After serving in a patrol unit for about two years, Largares said she became a detective and is now assigned to the major crimes unit.
Another deleted or hidden video showed a trophy for “Detective of the Year” that appeared to have Lagares’s name etched into it. The agency did not immediately comment on when she may have received that award.