Effective Communication and Police Officers

Today, many police officers are out performing patrols on foot and on bike, interacting with the public through meet and greets, and participating in community service projects to help make the city a great place to live (Roufta, n.d.). Furthermore, this method of policing also allows the community to get involved with their local law enforcement. Through initiatives such as block watches, police officers can now answer calls from the neighborhood. Overall, today’s policing has created a method of policing known as Community Oriented Policing. Community Oriented Policing is a style of policing that involves police officers partnering with their communities to help solve problems and to attack the core problems that lead to crime in the first place (“Law Enforcement and Community Relations,” (n.d.), para. 24).

In cities and towns across the country, tragic deaths of citizens in confrontations with police have have spiked a wave of distrust for law enforcement. The bad perception for law enforcement is unfair to the officer’s who are dedicated, and mean well in their duties, yet unfortunately, it has created tension between law enforcement agencies and the communities they serve. Due to the recent deaths and confrontations, reform proposals and new policies have been a national conversation to implement new initiatives to strengthen the bonds between law enforcement officers and the communities they serve. Although, confrontations between law enforcement and citizens in the community have spiked, the concept of community policing is not new. Throughout the years the philosophy of community policing has been to

Formal communication is the channel that usually follows the chain of command. This chain is often ran by formal orders, detectives, and written memorandums. In the police organization these forms provide a sense of order and security. Using excessive or exclusive communications however have certain disadvantages. One disadvantage in strict adherence to formal channels can be both time and personnel consuming. Memorandums must be drafter carefully ad must go through the chain of command for endorsements and then must be forwarded to the correct personnel according to departmental policy. Another disadvantage of formal channels is what effect this can have on free flow of information. Using formal channels will require a written record and many people hesitate to put their thoughts in writing because they are intimidated, afraid of losing their job, etc., which restricts the flow of information. However, using formal communications makes it possible for the officers to receive new directives and information concerning crimes rather quickly. Formal communication is less confusing and establishes a paper trail for legal purposes, if the need arrives (Wallace & Roberson, 2009).

Making an impact in every community would be one of the most important key in being an effective Police Officer. To be able to establish a concrete partnership with the community, will have the opportunity to help people make better choices. Becoming a role model for the upcoming generation is critical on the reduction in percentage of crime we see today. Being able to earn the public’s trust will let us have the option to show compassion on all the communities concerns.

Communication is primarily an exchange of information, ideas, or thoughts. This paper will focus on the process of verbal and nonverbal communication as well as the components of each. It outline the formal and informal channels of criminal channels. This paper will also list the different barriers to effective communication within a criminal justice organization. Finally it will cover strategies that can be implemented to overcome communication barriers within criminal justice organizations.

Formal channels of communication include orders, directives and written memorandums that follow a chain of command. Communication in this scenario usually flows downward from the highest level of the totem pole, such as a police chief down to its subordinates. This type of channel of communication has both its advantages and disadvantages. The advantage of using a formal channel promote uniformity within the department. All officers, despite their rank, receive the same information. The disadvantage of using formal channels is that it sometimes stops the free flow of communication. If this channel type of communication is used it does not leave much room for officers to exchange freely any information within their department. That is to say that patrol officers usually are not encouraged to communicate amongst their peers but rather just receive instruction from their superiors. This hinders the department because officers are not encouraged to help one another, communicate with each other and possibly provide or exchange crucial information that might help them execute their responsibilities.

This paper, will discuss the processes of verbal and nonverbal communication, including associated components of each, the differences between listening and hearing regarding communications. Also covered will be the formal and informal channels of communication that may be used within criminal justice organizations and implemented strategies used to overcome communication barriers therein. Verbal and nonverbal communication are the two main divisions of communication, and each specific realm deals with its own unique subject matters, symbols, behaviors, and processes.

The number one component that will make a law enforcement manager successful and in turn will make the agency successful is communication. Effective communication is the most important element for any successful law enforcement agency. The law enforcement manager must be able to successfully communicate his or her desires, wants, and goals throughout the entire organization. “Many ‘people problems’

Law enforcement and the community that it serves should have a harmonious relationship that is built on the foundation of trust and protection. Often, the community relies on police officers to protect and serve, while in turn, police officers are dependent on the community to offer support and cooperation to serve the neighborhood efficiently. However, when there is no connection between the two, tension begins to form causing their relationship to deteriorate. If there is no communication between the police officers and the community, then law enforcement would not be able to serve or protect the neighborhood from crime adequately. For law enforcement agencies to properly serve their communities, new innovative policies need to be formed

There are many purposes for communication within the very diverse criminal justice departments and agencies. Communication is a means of connecting people or places together and if not conveyed just right could be misunderstood and misinterpreted. The purposes for communication between the sender and receiver are to solicit information, to train, explain, or inform, to educate, mediate and persuade and last but not least to problem solve. Those were only a few modes or purposes of communication, the list goes on and on. Communication can be in the form of verbal, written, electronic, or something as simple as body language. Whatever conveys a message to a receiver is a form of communication. However it is conveyed or interpreted is another story and sometimes miscommunication leads to bad decisions. It is very important for a sender to take time and make sure the receiver understands all the information as well as if the receiver does not understand something questions need to be asked to obtain the correct information. In the criminal justice field it is imperative that all information is received and understood in the manner in which it is meant to be, if not it could actually be the difference in a life and death situation. Communication is often defined as a sharing or exchange of information, via a medium, between a sender and a receiver. (Collins & Stohr, 2014). There are two types of communication and that is formal which is verbal presentation or document intended

Course Objective (CO) – 3 Choose effective and clear verbal communication skills to convey factual information in order to coordinate law enforcement agencies.

Ethical Dilemmas and Inherent Difficulties Faced by Law Enforcement Today Tim Sullivan LETA 1034 Abstract Compare and contrast your knowledge of being a police officer before, and after you have attended the police academy. What are the ethical dilemmas faced by police officers and how technology as a social force, individualism, materialism and the alternate reality caused by media inundation affected policing and the public’s expectations and demands of a police officer? Growing up people quickly learn many different ways that a police officer represents a community. For the most part children learn that police officers and other municipal personnel are heroes, and the majority want to grow

Brown (2004) said that it is essential that police officials adjust their polices and practices to accommodate the changing needs of the populace as it continues to metamorphasize. He suggests that police help educate immigrants about U.S. laws and the role of police, and believes that serving a diverse society requires police to interact with minorities in a respectful manner while also seeking their input on local problems. Overall, Brown touts the option of community policing and shows that he is in favor of integrating the police into the community in order to create deeper bonds with citizens and form a sense of trust. In various studies, community policing has been shown to effectively increase positive relations between citizens and the police; when people begin feeling like they can trust the police, they are more likely to help the authorities out by offering information regarding crimes that they may have witnessed, or even acting as eyes on the street when the police are not

Communication is important to most professions and human relations in general. When it comes to a career in the Criminal Justice field, you must have great communication skills. Possessing these skills can keep you out of bad situations, and might even save your life. Communication can be verbal or non-verbal and to be able to do your job well, you need to know how to overcome potential communication barriers.

There is a perception of distrust between law enforcement and the community. This distrust stems directly from the dangerous words police use when communicating with the community. (Willis, 2015, p.) Simply choosing better words can help build relationships between law enforcement and the community. It is necessary for law enforcement to have trust with their community. There are many things that hinge on the police-community relationships, the ability of law enforcement to perform their duties, are the most important. Law enforcement must be willing to rely on the public to observe the law. They must always demonstrate absolute impartiality to the law.