Communications in Policing

Question 1

Contact w/ police is often…

Answer 1

A citizen-initiated process (Most of what police do is whatever the public wants them to)

Question 2

Negative encounters with police have…

Answer 2

An impact 4-14x greater than positive encounters

Question 3

General public assumption of police regarding public interaction + reality of the matter

Answer 3

Public’s interaction w/ police begins when police arrive on-scene at a call for service; in reality, police arriving on scene is #5 in a 5-step chain of public interaction

Question 4

5 steps of the public interaction process

Answer 4

1) Judgement by public; 2) Judgement by call-taker; 3) Judgement by radio operator; 4) Judgement by police officer; 5) Officer on-scene

Question 5

Judgement by the public

Answer 5

• Public must decide to contact police (Phone call, station visit, hailing officer, etc.)
• Reasons for contact can vary depending upon person, context and time
• Calls can either be criminal or civil

Question 6

Judgement by call-taker

Answer 6

• Language is important (i.e. synonyms having different meanings/magnitudes)
• Time = pressure
• Complainants in various states of mind
• Reports must be concise + must accurately convey the degree of the call for service

Question 7

Judgement by radio operator

Answer 7

• Rely on files generated by call-taker in order to determine dispatch order & how many officers to send to each case
• Complicated by factors of time (Radio time is sparse) and multiple calls for service having to be handled simultaneously

Question 8

Judgement by police officer

Answer 8

Rely on radio op info to make operational decisions (i.e. Emergency response v. routine response, proceed right away or await backup, tactical v. routine entry, etc.)

Question 9

Officer on-scene

Answer 9

Initial reactions to calls for service based upon the info provided to them leading them up to their arrival on-scene (i.e. reason to believe an assault occurred = officers may initially detain someone on-scene)

Question 10

Theoretical example of a call for service

Answer 10

1) Witness sees seemingly unconscious person being carried by 2 people into a car
2) Calls police & call-taker creates report assigned priority 1 (presumed kidnapping)
3) Radio op sees priority file, contacts police officers to get them on the scene
4) Many police officers try and get on-site ASAP
5) Police enter tactical takedown on vehicle w/ presumed kidnappee + suspects
6) Suspects explain their friend was lazy and fell asleep and therefore they lifted him into the car, revealing the whole thing was actually an innocent situation