Week 6 Paper (for Hisfa Shakaut)

EMPA 311: Micro Lecture – Session 6:

BY: Adjunct Professor Carlos Sanchez, Golden Gate University

Engaging the media is critical for the survival and reputation of any LE department. The lack of it fails to produce trust in their community and fails to communicate what the LE does or represents. This often happens when nothing transpires and then a critical incident occurs that spotlights an agency negatively in the public’s eye. Unfortunately, depending on the story, it can shed a very damaging image of the department that takes years to recover. Thus, it is vital for LE executives to utilize the media to promote their department’s image, create public relations and conduct public outreach.

Jones describes great guidelines that should be observed when dealing with the media, and as a smart and consciences administrator in LE, one must deal with the media. Jones’ tactics are useful to follow, but not everyone can speak to the media, thus a well-spoken and trained person, such as a Public Information Officer (PIO), can help produce the proper image the department wants to present. It is also very important that whoever speaks to the media, whether it is the PIO, commander at the scene or executive of the department, to have a command of the story. Too often the facts are not in or distorted which cause for misinformation to be disseminated to the public. This then causes mistrust once the story is corrected because of the fear of a cover-up or lack of transparency. As Jones noted, be as prepared and informed as possible. Gather good reliable information and watch what quotes you intend to use. Show empathy and be human – as Jones quotes General Schwarzkopf saying “I don’t think I would like a man who was incapable of enough emotion to get tears in his eyes…[t]hat’s not a human being (P.188).” Nonetheless, an important fact for anyone speaking to the media is that the audience, the people you are addressing, NEVER receive the full story [interview or press release], but only the sound bites or sections that the media wants to play, but that can be taken out of context. When information is taken out of context it can have a totally different perspective to the listening audience who will make their own conclusions, many times unfairly. If this is the case, a LE agency must correct the record as soon as possible with the media. A LE leader must demand that the media correct the information in the same matter as it was produced and not in the back section of the newspaper.

Recently, New York Police Department was criticized for their lack of responding to use of force incidents: “NYPD issued a report criticizing the department’s handling of excessive-force complaints, saying the agency has a culture in which officers aren’t always held accountable for aggressive arrest tactics” [please read article - http://www.wsj.com/articles/nypd-rolls-out-new-use-of-force-rules-1443715564 ]. The article in the Wall Street Journal and other media outlets like CNN, the New York Times and others paint a dim picture for the NYPD as negligent of their duties and that they are covering up mishaps by their officers. The report was done by New York’s watchdog civilian oversight agency, the N.Y. Civilian Complaint Review Board, in which they studied cases of excessive force between 2010 and 2014. The number brought to the board for a four year period was only 207 allegations for which the board found in 179 cases 92 as substantiated claims of excessive force. The point of the report was that the NYPD gave minimal discipline or none at all to officers in 67% of them. Now, excessive force is something a LE leader must stay in front of and show to the public their concern, as well as educate them as to what is excessive force. However, the story is a bit distorted because it fails to point out that the NYPD has almost 35,000 sworn police officers and another 4,000 enforcement officers, which cases reviewed over the four year period accounts for less than .05% of the force. Police Commissioner Bratton, who is an exceptional LE Leader, did get in front of the story and conducted a news conference pointing out new procedures to take place, but he failed to provide a positive image of the other over 99.5% of NYPD officers. This could have been a strategic move by the commissioner to implore to the public that he is serious about any type of force allegations and to create trust that they will be handling such abuses if substantiated. In Oakland PD as a result of their consent decree, every type of allegation of abuse, whether the cuffs are too tight, a person got hit during an arrest where there was resistance or spoken to in a foul language, an investigation must be launch that takes valuable time from investigators who have a time limit to conduct and conclude their investigation. In NYPD, Commissioner Bratton announced that he was creating a 54 person team to deal with all types of complaints such as in Oakland.

One cannot undermine the importance of LE executives utilizing the media to promote trust and communicate to their community programs, safety tips, current crime trends, guidance, reasons for actions (or inaction) and information regarding critical incidents. It is also important to display positive stories that involve their officers and the public. As Jones points out, “Many experts speak in strange tongues (P.199).” LE executives need to speak in plain English, not police jargon or legal ‘mumbo jumbo.’ As noted earlier, the press does not always print or show the entire story, thus it is important to be as concise and succinct as possible. Jones refers to this as “elevator speech (P.202);” say what you know in the time it takes to take an elevator one floor. I will add that for press conferences, a LE leader must control the environment, the time and the rules. This is especially true during critical incidents when many news agencies are clamoring for information. The media must be told when and where they will receive more information and at the time of the delivery, the PIO or LE executive must set the ground rules to the media before speaking. Common rules can be as simple as telling them [media] that only a few questions will be answered after you finish your announcement. Then it is easier for the person facing the press to exit gracefully and not be criticized by the press. Notwithstanding critical incidents, LE executives must utilize the media to work together effectively and understand each other roles. Please read article “How Effective Leaders Work Well with the Media” in finding common ground and interview guidelines: http://www.policechiefmagazine.org/magazine/index.cfm?fuseaction=display_arch&article_id=1762&issue_id=32009

Finally, the use of media must be examined prudently by any LE Leader to evaluate whether or not the information to be disseminated can hurt an agency or promote positive relations. As discussed before, body worn cameras are a very controversial issue that is being examined by all LE departments nationally. Not only is the question of whether to wear the cameras are being disputed, but how to use its information, whether to provide it to the public upon request or utilize it to write police reports. As noted in the article posted as a PDF file this week, “Public Disclosure of Police Body Camera Footage,” Seattle Police Departments is evaluating how and if they will upload video from officers on “YouTube” for the public to see. They are examining how to redact victim, witness and subject faces and names, and the time it will take to do it. In addition, they are evaluating whether the information will be useful to the public to create trust and transparency. This outreach to the public may have downfalls that can negatively affect the department if not done in a systematic fashion that has procedures in place and a high standard of integrity integrated to the process. Without such relied upon applications, the public may feel that the LE agency is only uploading videos they want the public to see and also may cause legal complications if a case is criminally charged. There is always a balancing act that must be observed by the LE agency and its public.

NEXT WEEK STUDENT PRESENTATIONS:

For week 7 you will be producing a presentation on a key issue or concern regarding a LE agency or LE in general. Your presentation must be directed to the community, the media, government officials (i.e., mayor, city council, board of supervisors, department head, or controller), NGO’s or the private sector (i.e., tech companies, business communities, banking institutions, etc.). You may assume your role as a LE executive, a government official, an advocate for change, or a concerned citizen. Your presentation must be scholarly and include topics we have discussed in the course from the readings and lectures. Provide key points and possible solutions.

The presentation must be a minimum of 1000 words, which may include power point slides. Be creative and make your point! The idea behind the assignment is for you to make your argument regarding an issue. Show the value of how you can corroborate with your intended audience, its importance to communicate your needs, and how it affects others and your own agency.