10.2: Communication

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Improving a police department's image in the community takes more than just concern or wishful thinking. For the police to be truly effective in a changing, complex society, they must recognize that it is in their own self-interest to administer a department that is competent, fair, honest, and responsive to the needs of the individual citizen. The police department must establish an effective partnership with the community as a whole, the foundation of which is mutual trust and understanding. Police organizations must realize that they have the ability to alter their own image within the community.

A well-developed community relations effort should be the product of careful construction, designed by the police and the public together, and should not be the result of an emotional reaction to a temporary crisis in the community. The fundamental tenet of any successful police-community relations effort must necessarily involve an open channel of communication between the police and the public. Once established, a communications vehicle should be further developed to ensure that the channel remains open.

Image result for community policing — Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\): COPS Office 5th Annual Community Policing in Action. COPS Office-Dept of Justice. Image is in the public domain.

Police departments must be sensitive to the fact that virtually every phase of their operations has an eventual impact on the community, which translates into an individual citizen's assessment of a department's effectiveness. Token or artificial efforts towards enhancing public image will quickly be recognized as an insincere gesture, which can only invite public ridicule and repudiation.

Training must also be in place to ensure that all officers veteran and recruit alike--continuously maintain an understanding of, and a sensitivity to, the social and human relations problems that surface within the community. Police departments should adopt a community-oriented attitude in every facet of their operations. The public must be convinced that the department's concern for community relations is not just a priority for administrators or community relations officers, but a serious concern that has the commitment of each officer.