2.1: Improving Human Relations in Policing

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In this unit we examine the importance for police departments to train and provide officers with human relations skills. This understand allows officers to deal with difficult and dangerous situations through de-escalation and communication skills. Most departments require recruits to demonstrate competency in areas such as firearms, tactics and driving, but more and more department are recognizing the need for human relations skills to be effective and efficient officers. In this section we will examine those skills can create a better partnership between the police and the communities they serve.

Improving Human Relations Skills

Effective policing occurs when officers and members of the public partner to create safe and crime-free communities. This partnership requires that officers display not only strong technical capabilities but interpersonal skills. Therefore, law enforcement agencies must train their officers on how to interact effectively with the public.

Together, technical and interpersonal skills form the basis of all police work. Any well-established law enforcement agency trains and evaluates all recruits for their technical (e.g., tactical and legal) abilities. For example, in firearms training, recruits must earn a certain score to carry a weapon.

Unfortunately, many agencies do not concentrate on training and evaluating officers’ interpersonal skills (e.g., active listening, problem solving, persuasion, and conflict management) even though officers need them to competently execute tactical and legal tasks. If officers cannot communicate with the public, poor community relations will hinder even the most technically proficient departments.

To illustrate this point, in 1983, George Miller wrote about the tension that exists when the community and the police interact. He claimed these difficulties exist because of the different expectations and attitudes that each group brings to the encounter. This conundrum continues 27 years later as officers try to navigate their responsibilities amid police-community tension and increased expectations of privacy.