NCJ Number
143634
Journal
FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin Volume: 62 Issue: 7 Dated: (July 1993) Pages: 22-26
Date Published
1993
Length
5 pages
Annotation
Police departments need to develop effective communications programs to overcome the negative effects that poor communication can have on police officers, their agencies, and law enforcement as a whole.
Abstract
Interpersonal communication involves understanding the dynamics of sending and receiving verbal and nonverbal messages. Police officers must understand the significance of paralanguage (inflection, tone of voice, and pitch), the difference between hearing and listening, and the messages behind kinesics (facial expressions, posture, and other body movements). Effective communication takes into account the four types of individual space, including intimate, personal, social, and public. In addition, cultural and ethnic factors are integral components of the communicative process. Police training issues related to communications should evolve from situations that police officers and other agency personnel encounter on a daily basis including dealing with peers, supervisors, superiors, subordinates, and family members, as well as typical situations encountered in calls for police service. Groups who should receive priority in communications training are command-level personnel, officers who deal regularly with the public, and employees who are critical to the department's internal networking.