Dallas Police Chief Announces Firings on Twitter. Good Policy? Every time police chief David Brown terminates an employee, he takes to Twitter and Facebook to share whom he fired and why.

By Laura Entis

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Now more than ever, companies are striving for transparency in new and extreme ways, publicly posting salary information, performance reviews and stock shares. But Dallas Police Chief David O. Brown has taken the concept of radical transparency one step further: Every time he fires an officer or employee, he announces the termination on Twitter.

Brown's termination tweets follow a simple format, stating the name of the employee and the reason for the firing. In 2013, twenty-seven officers and employees were let go; each departure was accompanied by a Tweet like this one:

Brown said his actions (fittingly, he did so in a tweet) are motivated by transparency, and a desire to "engage the public on social media."

Related: Why Transparency Is Essential to a Trusting Staff

Perhaps even more surprising than Brown's unorthodox policy is the fact that it's not used more often. Brown is a municipal employee who is offering valuable public information to taxpayers about their local police force. It's an easy argument to make that they have the right to know when an officer is fired "for his involvement in a domestic disturbance which resulted in a police response," or when an officer is demoted "for failing to aid a fellow officer who was nearby requesting help with a combative prisoner."

And could this tactic be employed for private businesses as well? If an employee commits an egregious act and is fired for it, would it improve company culture if other employees, not to mention consumers and the general public, understand exactly what he or she did wrong? Can public accounts of dismissals make business practices cleaner, fairer and ultimately more honest?

Related: 10 Questions to Ask Before Letting an Employee Go

Or is broadcasting a tweet with specific details about a person's transgressions unnecessarily humiliating? And what if, at some point, the information is wrong? Brown makes it clear that employees have the right to an appeal, but by that point, the name attached to the incriminating tweet has already been circulated.

Still, Brown's tactics are an interesting one, raising issues of transparency and accountability.

We'd like to hear from you -- do you think Brown's unconventional policy could improve your company's culture? Or is it unnecessarily humiliating? Let us know in the comments.

Laura Entis is a reporter for Fortune.com's Venture section.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Editor's Pick

Innovation

4 Ways Market Leaders Use Innovation to Foster Business Growth

Forward-thinkers constantly strive to diversify and streamline their products and services, turning novelties into commodities desired by many.

Business News

JPMorgan Shuts Down Internal Message Board Comments After Employees React to Return-to-Office Mandate

Employees were given the option to leave comments about the RTO mandate with their first and last names on display — and they did not hold back.

Business Ideas

70 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2025

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2025.

Leadership

From Elite Athletes to Tech Titans — Discover the Surprising $100-Million Habit That Leads to Extraordinary Success

Success comes from mastering focus, eliminating distractions and prioritizing what truly matters.

Side Hustle

'Hustling Since Middle School': She Started a Side Hustle on Facebook Marketplace — Then a 'Game-Changer' Grew It to $25,000 a Month

Leena Pettigrew's "entrepreneurial spirit" inspired her to build a business with earnings that outpaced her full-time income.

Growing a Business

How Meta Generated $32 Billion in Ad Revenue Last Quarter — and How You Can Create Million-Dollar Weekends Using the Same Strategies

Meta's staggering $32 billion quarterly ad revenue isn't just about size; it's about strategy, systems and execution as well.