Memo
To: Otis Carpenter, Capt. PCSO
From: Princilee Collins, CO
CC: Randy Geries, Sheriff
Date: 08/17/2013
Subject: Proposal to Improve Interpersonal Communications Within Law Enforcement
Attached is my proposal to improve interpersonal communication within the Sheriffs’ Office. It focuses on the concepts that are used to train law enforcement agencies in the skill of interpersonal communication within the department and in public. Good communication skills are absolutely essential within law enforcement and many of the problems that law enforcement officers confront are solved through effective communication.

REASON FOR PROPOSAL

There are several important reasons why this research will be beneficial to the sheriffs’ office and the local law enforcement agencies we provide radio service and interact with on a daily basis. First and foremost is officer, dispatch, and jailers safety. The communication problems with in the sheriffs’ office have caused major safety issues in the past between officers, jailers, and dispatchers. Most of the issues have been caused by poor communication skills or lack of knowledge in using good communication skills. This proposal will point out the key issues that need to be addressed and the solutions to correct them.

I look forward to meeting with you and Sheriff Geries in working on ways to promote better communication skills within the department.

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IMPROVE INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATIONS
WITHIN LAW ENFORCEMENT

Prepared for
Sheriff Randy Geries
Parmer County Sheriffs’ Office

Prepared by
Princilee Collins
Corrections Officer

August 21, 2013

Contents
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY..………………………………………….………………………IV
INTRODUCTION.……………………………………………..……………………………...1
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM………………………………………………………....1
BENEFITS……………………………………………………………………………………..1
PROPOSAL…………………………………………………………………………………...2
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS..……………………………………………………………………..3
REFERENCES………………………………………………………………………………...6

Executive Summary
Interpersonal communication involves understanding the dynamics of sending and receiving verbal and nonverbal messages. Whether officers realize it or not, their ability to relate to others directly affects every action they perform on duty. This includes not only what the officers say but also the way they say it. Their tone of voice, facial expressions, posture, and general demeanor broadcast messages to those with whom they interact. Often, these nonverbal elements send stronger messages to the listener than verbal ones.
Police officers deal with people of all races, cultures, ages, ethnicities, and background. Officers must be more knowledgeable with communication in their field due to having to deal with people who are mentally ill, suicidal, dangerous, or are in the worse situation they have ever been in. The job of a police officer is very difficult one and having sharp communications skills within the department and in the civilian sector is a required skill to have and will mean the difference between a successful officer and an unsuccessful one.
Unfortunately, many police training programs do not give sufficient attention to the importance of developing effective communication skills. Most agencies simply assume that the officer's communication skills will develop as they gain experience. Officers will only learn from the example set by other officers, and they will employ these skills, whether they are effective or not, both on and off the job.
The following proposal will address these issues and will provide a plan to address training issues concerning interpersonal communications within law-enforcement agencies and the public sector.

IMPROVING INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION
WITHIN LAW ENFORCEMENT
INTRODUCTION
Accurate and clear communication is an essential part of law enforcement in order for officers to act and respond appropriately. Womack and Finley (2010) highlighted the words of communication in police work when they stated communication “is the central most important commodity that the officer has at his or her disposal” (P. 14). Good communication skills are so critical that they can spell life or death for the officer or anyone else involved” (Tapscott, 2008). In order to communicate effectively, police officers must gain an understanding of the verbal and nonverbal message elements that people communicate consciously and subconsciously. In addition, an officer must not only learn the appropriate communication behaviors but also how to match those behaviors to the demands of particular situation.
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
The issues faced by law enforcement agencies today concerning interpersonal communication are numerous. Officers who exhibit poor communication skills may be perceived as having a bad attitude or an abrasive personality, not only by their supervisors and peers, but also by the citizens with whom they come in contact with every day. One of the obstacles with implementing an effective communication training program within a police agency is the attitude of the officers. The officers often view efforts to improve their communication skills as either criticism of their abilities or an attempt to discredit their "tough" image. They feel that such training interferes with their ability to take charge of the situations that they often find themselves and with little or no offense warning. Because of this they do not recognize how communication skills relate to the stresses of police work., In some cases, the command staff and personnel within the agency often profess to the importance of that effective communication training but most agencies do not allocate departmental funds to develop and implement such a training program. Most agencies use performance evaluation procedures establish standards for evaluating oral or written communication skills of individual officers. Officers who receive unsatisfactory scores in either of these categories rarely receive any department-sponsored formal training to help improve their communication skill. “In the complicated world of law enforcement, one must always remember that the goal is to always look for strategies that will improve how we serve our constituency. Assisting others with their needs, be it through the enhancement of routine services or through examining ways in which to improve communication within a police organization as well as within the communities we serve is essential” (Anderson, Arroyo, Giles, & Knutson 2002).
BENEFITS OF GOOD COMMUNICATION
Effective communication helps law enforcement agencies to identify additional, alternative courses of action when they are responding to calls for service. “Being good listeners and understanding the importance of spatial relations and other nonverbal communication allow officers to defuse potentially violent situations and resolve them in a peaceful manner” (Hulse & McDermott 2008).
Improving interpersonal communications will help to provide a more effective flow of information throughout the agency which in turn, enables a better coordination between the various departments that will result in an increase of productivity.
PROPOSAL
COMMUNICATION SKILLS TRAINING
Training Issues
The first critical step in achieving a professional level of competency in interpersonal communications within law enforcement rests with command personnel in the agency. The less the command staff commits itself; the less likely there will be effective communication skills within that agency. An effective communication training program begins with efforts to change the attitude of the employees and ensure that everyone believes that by improving communication skills, it will benefit not only the individual employee but also the organization as a whole.
The next step is for the police administrators to determine who should receive the training. There are three groups of people within agency who should receive priority. Command level personnel, critical to the agency function, should be the first to receive the training by improving their ability to communicate, there will be a measurable improvement in overall department productivity. The second group is the employees’ that regularly deal with the public either directly or through the media. The third group consists of the employees who are critical to the department’s internal network function, such as clerical personnel, telephone operators, or division supervisors.
The communication training should be taught at a very basic level, evolving around situations that police officers and other agency personnel encounter every day. These may include dealings with supervisors, superiors, subordinates, peers, and family members.

Essential Techniques
In order to improve the officers’ performance in common police practices, agencies can instruct their personnel on the basic competencies that will help ease communication between the police and the public during the vehicle stops, criminal investigations, and in domestic conflicts. The skills needed to ameliorate deficiencies in such situations fall into three categories : setting the stage, gathering and audience, and confirming information. * Setting the stage * Practice crucial verbal and nonverbal conversation habits * Eye contact * Body position * Voice tone * Facial expressions * Gestures * Physical distance * Physical contact * Open invitations * Use closed and open ended questions * Gathering evidence * Four communication skills to assist officers in collecting pertinent information * Focusing * helps with reframing and reconstructing problems * Paraphrasing * restate someone's thoughts with different words and nonjudgmental manner * Reflecting * involves feelings is officer articulate an individual's emotions whether stated or implied * * Confronting * aids police in identifying discrepancies in the story * Confirm information * Two strategies * Clarifying * confirms that the officer an individual agree on the exchanged information * Summarizing * establishes that all information gathered is accurate
There are many strategies used to train law-enforcement agencies and interpersonal communication. The IMPACT model uses an easy–to–follow formula in dealing with difficult people, soothing strong emotions, and managing conflict. This model of interpersonal communication is built around six simple principles that can be applied to virtually any type of law enforcement contact, whether it be within the agency or the civilian sector.
IMPACT MODEL

The IMPACT statement is not a sequential process. Officers will usually use many steps of the process at the same time. “Whatever their order, the IMPACT principles offer law enforcement professionals a valuable tool for improving officers’ safety while increasing their communicative effectiveness and problem-solving abilities” (Fitch, 2009).
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
I recommend that police academies establish an effective strategy for teaching essential interpersonal skills to the recruits before they enter the field. Using counselor education programs, such as IMPACT, can provide various methods of teaching and evaluating these skills. These programs can be tailored to fit their current curriculum and can be used to teach these skills within the agency. Law enforcement agencies need interpersonal communication training which can be easily witnessed and evaluated. This will ensure that law enforcement agencies will be able communicate civilly and respectfully with others. With this training, police recruits entering the force will feel competent and confident when communicating, whether they are out in the field or in the office. “Successful law enforcement depends on the vital ability to communicate capably and competently not only on the street, but also within the police organization and other branches of the government, such as the courts. Indeed, the ability to communicate appropriately represents an officer’s prime worth in terms of safety and the community good” (Anderson, Arroyo, Giles, & Knutson 2002).

REFERENCES
Anderson, M. C., T. Knutson, H. Giles, and M. Arroyo,(20020). “Revoking Our Right to Remain Silent: Law Enforcement Communication in the 21st Century,” in Law Enforcement, Communication, and the Community,” ed. H. Giles, Amsterdam: John Benjamins, 2002. Retrieved from http://www. ehis.ebscohost.com.lib.kaplan.edu
Brian, D., Fitch, B. (2009). The IMPACT Principles: A Model of Interpersonal Communication for Law Enforcement Journal: The Police Chief Volume: 76 Issue 12, Pgs:86,88,90,92-95. Retrieved from https:www.ncjrs.gov
Finley, H.,Womack, M. (2010). Communication: A Unique Significance for Law Enforcement.
Hulse, D., McDermott, J.(2009). Focus on Training: Interpersonal Skills Training in
Police Academy Curriculum. FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin. Retrieved from https: fbi.gov.
Tapscott, K. (2008). Police and Effective Communication, Retrieved from http://www.tapscott.info.