NCJ Number
153736
Date Published
1994
Length
136 pages
Annotation
This manual is intended to assist police officers develop professional communications programs to enable agency representatives to communicate effectively with the public and the press.
Abstract
The guidelines emphasize that media contact has increasingly become a necessity for police agencies, that it is important to clearly indicate the facts of the story, and that every word spoken to the press could appear in a newspaper or on radio or television. Individual sections explain the role of public relations, the development of a media list, the format of a press release, opportunities for news stories, the use of photographs, methods of targeting a story to radio, and the use of photographs and video clips for television. Other sections focus on other media opportunities; the role of annual reports, brochures, and newsletters; the evaluation of results; basic principles and actions to follow and avoid in handling publicity; and political issues. Sample materials, list of services and suppliers related to publicity, glossary, and index