There are different types of protocols police officers must consider and exhibit when communicating with others in a variety of situations. For typical police situations, officers must consider whether they are emergency or non-emergency situations. Other common places in which officers are required to exhibit different forms of protocol for communication include in correctional facilities and in courtroom settings. In all of the situations, officers must be aware of both their verbal and non-verbal forms of communication, the latter of which is just as valuable as the former in conveying messages to others (Server, no date).
In non-emergency conventional police situations, it is extremely advisable for officers to convey a sense of relaxation and amicable helpfulness in both their demeanors as well as in their voices. One's posture in these situations should be comfortable, and change positions at discreet intervals to demonstrate a sense of relaxation. Similarly, the officer's voice should offer some degree of fluctuation, and not come across to loud or commanding. For instance, it would be acceptable for an officer to wave to whomever he is communicating with when first getting that person's attention, and to speak in easy, reserved tones without raising his voice too loudly. Failure to follow this protocol could result in undesirable consequences, the most likely of which could be a lack of cooperation on the part of whomever the officer is communicating with. If
Failure to listen is one of the most common barriers to effective communication, and giving and receiving feedback is a skill that is critical in law enforcement. Chapter 5 is about the challenges of communicating with people with special needs. Law enforcement personnel come across all levels of citizens who may have different abilities to effectively communicate. The ability to understand and communicate with these groups is essential to carry out their duties. Some of the issues facing officers include persons who speak different languages, have different customs and expectations, are fearful of authority, and who may have physical limitations that affect their ability to communicate. Other barriers to communications include people with emotional issues, people with mental retardation and/or illness, and people who may be under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol. Not only do officers need to be able to communicate with these people, they also need to be able to recognize the different conditions that could be present and present a challenge to communication. Communication in public is the crux of Chapter 6. This is an important aspect of dealing with outside entities. Whether being interviewed be the media, speaking to citizens about a situation or giving a speech to others, public speaking is one of the most challenging parts of communicating. This chapter gives some good advice in regards to speech writing, delivering that
Yes, this indeed was a legal stop. This was a legal stop because under the stop and frisk exception police can stop a person on the streets and pat them down for illegal objects, so long as they have suspicion. And, during my midnight shift patrol I found it to be suspicious that these two men were behind a closed business. A business in which has been burglarized in the past. I do believe that stop and pat down was justified. I believe the stop was justified because the suspect did not appear to fit the time or place, as it was midnight and the business was closed. A pat down is to stop any further danger towards an officer and other people. A pat down should only be used to detect concealed weapons or contraband. So, I believe
How can communication be improved in an organization that is structured in a traditional bureaucratic form?
Policing has definably evolved over the last thousand years. Not only to progress crime fighting methods, but also show our community and greater service. The old way of policing which was primarily based on random patrol, hoping for the chance to accidently walk up on a crime in progress, police agency started focusing on social problem, and even more effective, statistics. Community policing has been enhanced through a management accountably process called (CompStat).
Jessie, I really enjoyed your post as I have been a police officer for 18 years and it directly relates to my job. Yes, police departments across the country must strive to make their departments more diverse, especially with the rising Hispanic population. One main hindrance to this goal is the fact that many cities are doing away with pension programs and starting hybrid or 401K retirement plans. At my agency, the Knoxville Police Department, we are having problems getting any race to apply because of the new hybrid system. I would recommend offering ride-a-long and cadet programs to attract more minorities to the field. As far as keeping arrest numbers equal to the makeup of the population, there is no way to make this happen
Communication helps police officers get their jobs done behind the scenes. One way police officers communicate is through effective writing; it is communication that the public does not see, but it is still very important. The public does not see police officers filling out the stacks of paperwork inherent in their job, but nevertheless, this
Police officers are faced each day with a vast array of situations with which they must deal. No two situations they encounter are ever the same, even when examines a large number of situations over an extended period of time. The officers are usually in the position of having to make decisions on how to handle a specific matter alone, or with little additional advice and without immediate supervision. This is the heart of police discretion. As we shall find, the exercise of discretion by police has benefits and problems associated with such exercise. The unfettered use of discretion can
Police agencies all over the world implement different policing strategies in accordance with the purpose. Community policing is one of the philosophy in which most of the countries effectively working with it. According to U. S. Department of Justice Community policing is a philosophy that promotes organizational strategies, which support the systematic use of partnerships and problem-solving techniques, to proactively address the immediate conditions that give rise to public safety issues such as crime, social, and fear of crime (n.d). This essay critically examines the conditions, which would impact both positively and negatively on the police procedures required to implement community policing strategy in the Maldives.
It is my opinion that police training is very specific focusing on situational containment which involves quickly and forcefully apprehending criminal suspects. Although police training does include aspects of communication, the general intent is to establish authority over the person in question. This is done by communicating the impression of overwhelming force and aggression. I would contend that these two factors are the main principles of police training, whether it be verbal or physical interaction with the suspect. This approach is understandable for the law enforcement profession is fraught with danger and the
When you approach someone during an incident, explain to them why you perform actions, and answer their questions. Engaging the public in conversation helps to make the officer a part of the community and helps gain the confidence of the public and improves the image of the police in the community.
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.
Choosing the job occupation of being a police officer inherently has its own risks and dangers that come with the title. A routine traffic is one of the many dangers that can lead to tragedy by sometimes not taking the correct precautions for the officer when dealing with a dangerous situation. One of the many options that an officer can take to be proactive in reducing these situations from going south, is actually, keeping more space between a suspect and the officer. “In the 30 years between 1985 and 2014, the trend rose slightly higher. During this period 69.7 percent of officers killed with firearms in the line of
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).
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.