Robert Rockwell

LEPSL 510: Communication for Law Enforcement Leaders

University of San Diego: Professional & Continuing Education

Effective communication is crucial to all aspects of life. If a person is unable to relay a

thought, feeling, idea, or command without disruption or distortion, there can be no

understanding. This is true for all aspects of daily communication in any context. However, in

the profession of law enforcement, the stakes are raised, and the room for error in delivering a

misconstrued message is slim.

Law enforcement is unique compared to any other profession in the way that on a daily

basis any given officer must put on several different “faces.” An officer could have the face of a

professional role model to high school kids. It could be the face of sympathy and support to a

recent robbery victim. It could be the face of an intimidating lawman trying to quell a suspect.

It could be the face reinforcing an entire agency’s viewpoint, or even the face bearing the blame

for the entire agency. These faces all communicate differently, and it is imperative that each face

delivers a clear and concise message that results in absolute understanding.

This policy manual will cover five key areas of communication that a law enforcement

officer can and will encounter throughout their career. The primary areas of focus will be inter-

agency communication, intra-agency communication, communication with the public,

communication with those involved in a crime, and online communication. Each area requires a

different skill set to navigate through potential challenges, however, a balanced set of

communication skills will be sufficient to complete just about any task involved in each

category.
 Inter-Agency Communication

Goals:

 Identify what type of communication styles work best when proactively reaching out to connect
with other organizations or agencies.
 Develop communication strategies designed to build relationships of cooperation and trust with
partnering agencies.
 Identify communication techniques designed to maintain positive, collaborative relationships
with law enforcement partners.

Successful law enforcement requires a team effort. This is not just accomplished by
members of the department, but also by those who are proactively working in the
community.

1) Determine who in the community (law enforcement and civilian) can help
benefit the goals of the police department in bettering the community.

a) What needs to be done?

b) Who can help us accomplish these goals?
c) What resources are necessary in order to get the job done?

2) Determine the best way to contact these members of the community (law
enforcement and civilian), and establish a relationship with them through
partnership with a common goal in mind.

a) Designate a public relations officer or team that is in charge of all

community activities and events.
b) Conduct weekly or bi-weekly meetings to set goals, share ideas, and
update progress.
c) Involve all necessary community members.
d) Keep a positive outlook, and work together.

3) Positive partnerships build trust, and trust helps facilitate success.

a) Share your success stories.

b) Continue to work toward shared and achievable goals.
c) Maintain a positive attitude.
 Intra-Agency Communication

 Identify the strengths and weaknesses of different management styles.

 Identify different methods of conflict resolution to be used in different situations.

Communication within the police department helps set the tone for each of its members.
Leaders in the department play a large role in morale building, positive attitudes, and the
overall perception of each employee.

1) Types of management

a) Consistency- Managing the same way with each employee. Ensuring

there are no favorites, and everyone is equally valuable to the team’s
success.
b) Personal Touch- Managing using your own personal history. Not
overbearing with stories about yourself, but bringing policy and procedure
to life through your personal knowledge and experience.
c) Tone Setting- Ensuring you as a leader are following all policy and
procedure. Do as I do mentality. Set the example.
d) Negotiation- Finding a balance between both sides. Not making every
decision or policy black and white, rather, maintaining an open mind on a
case by case basis.

There is no one absolute correct management style. Remember that each type has pros
and cons to its approach. You must learn which style works best for you and your team,
and adopt it. Create consistency in your style and your demeanor, your team must know
what to expect from you in order to be successful.

2) Conflict resolution methods

a) Make sure maintaining a good relationship is your priority.

b) Separate the person from the problem.
c) Listen first and talk second. Determine what the problem actually is.
d) Paraphrase to ensure you know what is being said and what the other party
involved desires from the outcome.
e) Explore resolution options together. Make a joint-effort to solve.
 Communication with the Public

 Identify messaging techniques that maximize the amount of non-confidential information

agencies are permitted to reveal to the general public.
 Develop public communication skills as a law enforcement professional that can be used in
different venues, from a press conference to a town hall meeting.
 Describe which types of communication techniques are most effective when speaking as an
individual, and in a representative capacity.

Communication with the public is the crux of law enforcement. Each situation an officer
encounters is dynamic and potentially volatile. It is the duty of each officer to be able to
communicate his or her end goal with zero interference. In order for this goal to be
accomplish the officer must choose the correct method of communication. This is
determined by several different factors including the urgency of the message, the nature
of the message, and the receiver of the message.

1) Each police department must determine the best way to send a particular
message. These messages can contain simple information such as traffic
updates, and weather/road conditions, or more urgent information such as amber
alerts, and riot/natural disaster information. Determine what vehicle or method
of transmission of your message works best.

a) Urgent information should be passed using a method targeting large

volumes of receivers. Examples: Signs, billboards, text message
alerts, radio broadcasts.
b) Other important but not urgent information can also be passed through
the urgent methods listed above, however, typically this type of
information is passed through newspaper, television, and other news
media outlets
c) High profile information is typically passed through the form of a
press conference. This type of message signifies the importance of the
matter, and it typically done by a public information officer, or higher
ranking member of the department.

2) Law enforcement members are expected to know how to communicate multiple

different messages using various forms of methods.
 a) Public speaking- Press conferences, Town hall meetings, Briefings,
Training seminars
b) Interpersonal Communication/Communication on an individual basis-
Car stops, Responding to a call for service, Day to day encounters.

3) Officers must determine what type of tone, verbal and non-verbal

communication, and information sharing are necessary for each situation. Every
encounter requires an officer to be professional, unbiased, and calm. Depending
on the encounter, different approaches can be taken.

a) Speak factually, and do not speculate. People will challenge you

constantly, so don’t give them the opportunity to catch you in a lie.
b) Always try and build rapport and trust. An officer should gain the
trust of those under his or her care.
c) Try not to intimidate all members of the public. Officers can appear
naturally intimidating, so monitoring your body language can go a
long way in putting the public at ease.

Communicating with Victims, Witnesses, and Suspects

 Compare and contrast different methods of communicating with the relevant parties in different
types of investigations.
 Develop communication strategies designed to create an environment of trust and receptivity,
conducive to eliciting the maximum amount of useful information.

Law enforcement officers encounter different types of people in various types of

situations. There are everyday consensual encounters that are positive and amicable,
encounters with victims and witnesses where trust and empathy must be apparent, and
encounters with suspects where possibly a more serious and command presence must be
used. Officers are tasked with making this determination upon the arrival at every scene.

1) Victims

a) Remain professional and calm. Many victims have just experienced a

violent or intrusive crime.
 b) Do not intimidate. Male officers should consider using a female
officer in the case of domestic violence or sexual abuse.
c) Try and show empathy and/or sympathy. Sometimes this skill goes a
long way to keeping the victim calm and getting a strong statement
from them.
d) Listen. This can help the victim to emotionally unload their stress, and
ultimately help you to get to the facts of the matter.
e) Ensure them that you are there and that they are safe, this will help
build their trust in you as a professional.

2) Witnesses

a) First and foremost, build trust. A witness will not talk if they do not
trust you.
b) Be professional, this will help to establish credibility.
c) Ask open ended questions to gain your desired result.
d) Keep them focused. Guide them along the path of questioning and
statements that you are looking for. Who, What, When, Where, Why.
e) Build rapport through any means possible. This will help to maintain
trust and likeability.
f) Establish that the witness is credible, and actually witnessed what you
needed them to witness.

3) Suspects

a) Maintain professionalism regardless of the situation. Officers are

faced with difficult individuals and must remain calm.
b) Take your personal feelings out of it. They serve no purpose in your
line of questioning.
c) Ask open ended questions. Let the suspect talk him or herself into a
box.
d) Listen to get their story first. Don’t assume you know the answer to
your questions.
e) Paraphrase their story. Ensure you make them stick to the details of
what they are telling you.

Online Communication

 Compare and contrast different types of online communication techniques to educate the public.
 Apply online communication techniques to law enforcement case studies.
 Strategize which type of social media platform is best suited to address different types of law
enforcement messages.
 Implement prudent personal habits in using social media to convey information, both
professionally and personally.

Law enforcement is changing on a parallel plane with technology. It has become more
apparent that officers must remain familiar with new advances in the technology space in
order to do their jobs effectively. With these changes comes new methods of
communication and new areas for training. Technology has opened up new doors for law
enforcement, and we must be prepared to walk through these doors without incident or
damage to the department.

1) Online communication and social media. Use of email, internet, and social media
outlets (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.) to convey a message.

a) Dangers- Accounts getting hacked, misinterpretation of information

due to lack of tone or context, lack of accountability, im-
personalization of the message being delivered.
b) Advantages- Contacting a large volume of people at once, low cost
and high efficiency, modernization of law enforcement tactics,
connection to the public, quick sharing of information.

2) Ensure you are using online and social media communication correctly. Do not
take advantage of the high efficiency of social media at the risk of coming off as
impersonal. Some information must still be addressed the “old fashioned” way in
order to remain professional and trustworthy.

3) Learn from your own and others mistakes. If social media is not working, or
other members of the community or law enforcement are having issues with it,
then use another outlet.

a) Online communication should typically be used as a support or

secondary option, versus a primary outlet.
b) Social media can go viral very fast, so ensure you have checks and
balances in place to prevent the spread of false information.
4) As a law enforcement officer you must maintain professionalism at all times both
in your personal and career lifestyles. Beware of the social media traps.

a) Do not get personal on social media. Too many people know you are
a police officer, and they will think your beliefs are the department’s
beliefs. Keep your opinions to yourself.
b) Understand you are the face of the department, you are the face of law
enforcement.
c) You are always in uniform both on and off duty. People are unable to
separate you from your job. Keep this in mind even through online
communication.