criminal justice professional communication – Flashcards

A. Sender : person who is talking—always sets the atmosphere B. The messenger: The content of what is being said C. Atmosphere: The tone of the communication situation D. The receiver of the message: the person who is listening E. Two basic components: Verbal and Nonverbal F. 7%-10% is based on words being said, 90% is based on body language.

R: Report ~Become away are ~Plan response ~Arrive /Assess ~Alarm /Informed E: Evaluate ~Look at dangers ~Determine back up needs ~Enter when appropriate /Tactically sound S: Stabilize ~Subjects ~Scene P: Preserve ~Life *Conduct any new show medical assessment as trained * Treat to level of training * Continue to monitor the subjects ~Evidence O: Organize ~Coordinate additional responding units if necessary ~Communicate with dispatch and others ~Organize the collection of evidence if appropriate N: Normalize ~Provide long-term monitoring as appropriate ~Restore scene to normal ~Return radio communications to normal D: Document/debrief ~Debrief herself, others responding personnel, subjects and other persons ~Document incident appropriately *RESPONDING SKILLS: A component of Active Listening using verbal skills to illustrate understanding of what people are expressing and feeling.

1. Active listening~MOST important one. Is a specific way of listening very attentively and effectively to someone else. 2. Asking and answering questions 3. Making requests and giving orders

Attending Skills: attending means giving your attention—physically and mentally—to another person. It is a form of nonverbal communication that shows that you are paying attention. ~Appropriate body language to show you are listening ~Appropriate body movement to show you're listening ~Maintain eye contact ~Minimizing environmental distractions Following Skills: follow what the other person is saying, and then to encourage the other person to keep on talking, so that effective communication is fostered rather than discouraged ~Using effective "door openers." Door openers are gentle invitations to get the other person to talk. They are good to use when you sense that the other person needs some encouragement to talk—or continue talking—about something. ~ Using simple words and phrases to encourage the other person to talk. You can use many simple words and phrases to indicate to the other person that you are listening and to try to encourage him or her to keep on talking. Ex: "Go ahead","And then", "Really", "For instance". Always Ask Open Ended Questions Responding Skills: ~ Responding to content. One of the ways in which you respond to other people is on the basis of the content of what they say. In this part, you listen carefully to the other person and try to let him or her know that you heard accurately and are reacting to what is being said.best techniques for responding to the content of what a person has said is by paraphrasing it ~ Responding to feelings: trying to respond to the content of what a person has said, you also need to respond to the feelings, or emotions, that the person seems to be expressing. ~ Responding to content and feelings together: Ideally, you should try to respond to both the content (meaning) and the feeling (emotions) of what a person has said * Encourage the person to talk things out rather than to act them out Get information about what the person is thinking or feeling, so that you will better understand his or her state of mind, emotions, and point-of-view Help defuse negative emotions

Contact officer-override is used to intervene in the situation if the contact officer behaves inappropriately , otherwise not handling the situation effectively. Over ride officer will take over the contact officers position to deexcelarate the issue. Also used if an officer needs immediate help due to struggling with assailant Or feels he/she is in danger. Remember this is a shared responsibility,there are no bystanders.

Make a Request: ~People always Prefer being asked vs. being told,They feel that this puts them on a more equal level with other people. ~If request is not complied accelerate two orders 1. Guidelines for making requests: ~Make direct eye contact ~Make your Requests politely but firmly, using words and phrases that are simple and most likely to be easily understood . Use the word Please, ex."sir", "ma'am" People will be more willing to do what to ask them to if they are Asked

Giving a order: ~There are times when you needed someone to do something rather than ask them to do it. If a subjects does not comply with your request based on your tactic evaluation, it is clearly inappropriate to make a request . ~If you're sarcastic or authoritative or otherwise disrespectful the person will not comply with your order. 1. Guidelines to issue an order ~When you can, make direct eye contact with person ~Start with the words sir or ma'am as a way of showing respect. ~In a calm firm tone voice, tell the person what you wished done. Use simple direct language. Some people find the phrase "you need to" or "I need to" helpful in gaining cooperation. ~Correctional Officers Note: An inmate will "posture" before doing the order, to save face with peers or other inmates or to maintain their own self image. Watch their body language ! They will always posture before the attack.

You must be sure to pay attention to the non-verbal components of your communication.: 1.Facial expression ~Use a neutral facial expression- show no emotion that you may feeling, such as anger or even fear—gives you the advantage in a communication situation. 2.Eye contact ~ Maintain direct eye contact with the person to show that you are attending to him or her and are listening. ~ In some cultures, direct eye contact is it conceived as threatening or disrespectful. 3.Body language ~Your body should be relaxed yet alert. ~You want to communicate to the subjects that you are in control and are ready to react to anything, but are interested and receptive not hostile ~This position is with your body bladed at the slight angle to the subjects with your gun protected by being turned away from the subjects. ~ Your feet should be about shoulder width apart, so that you react quickly. ~ Your arms should not hang limply at your side, but should be held with your hands at waist height or higher, so that you can react quickly if attacked and can be ready to protect your weapon. 4 Posture ~Proper distance is that at which you feel safe and in control. 5 Physical distance ~ Proper distance to not invade other people space and make them feel threatened should be done at all time.

Officer-generated barriers ~ Believing the fight-or-flight fallacy: Officers must learn to recognize that feigned submission and posturing are possible responses to a situation, and they should be prepared to respond accordingly ~Falling prey to presumed compliance: never assume that people will comply just because you did a good job of applying Professional Communication Skills. ~ Using police jargon: Using jargon can cause a barrier between you , inmates, assailants, and coworkers . Because different agencies use different codes jargon is not used in law enforcement. ex: You're going to the whole, 10-4 good buddy, Are we in a 51 him, We found a shank, I ran a 10- 28 on you. ~Indulging in "POP"POP actions are those things people say and do that Provoke Other People. Some of the more common ways in which officers (often unintentionally) "provoke other people" include Physical actions, such as ~Facial expressions showing disgust, anger, disapproval, etc. ~Body postures communicating a sense of superiority, disgust or indifference ~Gestures such as pointing the "parental" finger or inappropriate touching ~Crowding (invading a person's personal space) Verbalization, such as ~Using profanity ~Calling people names, particularly using racial or ethnic or sexual epithets or slurs ~Lecturing people, particularly when using an authoritarian manner or tone of voice Actions Reacting to your own "hot buttons": ~Racial or ethnic remarks or insults ~Remarks about your sexual orientation or physical appearance ~Comments about your intelligence ~Remarks about your family or other loved ones Threats toward you or your family members ~Demeaning or insulting remarks about police Challenges to your authority ~Intentional and knowingly provocative statements such as, "I'm glad your ~ ____________________ is sick and may die." Time constraints: ~Try to manage your time so that you can complete necessary tasks without unintentionally sending the message to an inmate or citizen that you don't care or can't be bothered. Physical barriers: ~Telephones ~Radios ~Security glass, intercoms, squad cars ~Environmental factors Interpersonal barriers: Cultural barriers, including language, different expectations for body language and eye contact, and different views of authority figures Gender or sexual orientation differences Generational or age-related differences ,Physical disabilities and medical problems Substance abuse ,Developmental or cognitive barriers Mental disorders

OPENING ~In the opening phase of an encounter, your goals are to introduce yourself and explain the reason for your contact in a way that sets a positive tone for the interaction. INFORMATION-GATHERING ~The middle phase of your interaction is the time that you gather the information that will allow you to resolve the call. Naturally, the specific questions you ask will depend on the reason for your contact, but they should be designed to give you what you need to decide what action to take. ~Understanding the context. If you have been dispatched to a call or summoned to a corrections pod, it's always a good idea to ask a question to find out about situation. Sometimes the information provided is sketchy or incorrect, so you shouldn't assume that the call description you were given is accurate or complete ~Asking for ID. The information-gathering phase is when you should ask for identification. Because asking for ID is such a common part of contacts with citizens, it is often the first thing that an officer does. It is better to wait until you have established some rapport with the person it makes the request seem less authoritarian and less threatening. Waiting a bit may diffuse the person's anxiety and defensiveness and deflect possible confrontations ~Follow-up questions. After looking at the person's identification, you may need to obtain clarification or get further information—either about the ID or about other issues. ~Giving verbal directions. During a basic contact, you may need to give a subject specific verbal orders, as to what you want him or her to do. Here, you are not asking questions to solicit information or to try to assess a subject's state of mind. Instead, your clear purpose is to get the subject to comply with your orders. RESOLUTION: ~The final phase of the contact is the resolution phase, in which you decide what action you will take and how you will end the interaction. The nature of your action will, of course, vary depending on the circumstances. If the situation is a vehicle contact, for example, your decision will probably involve whether to give a warning or a citation, whether to arrest the driver, whether to escalate to handling it as a higher-risk contact, etc. In other situations, you may be deciding whether to simply question a person, to take information for a report, to take a person into custody, or to take other action. ~Making your decision. Make your decision as soon you can, after considering all relevant information known to you. Once you have made your decision, inform the subject in a straightforward, matter-of-fact manner. ~Ending the contact. After telling the person what action you are going to take, you should end the contact quickly and harmoniously, in a way that minimizes the subject's negative reaction to the contact. Your closing is critically important. It can make all the difference in the outcome of the incident, and in subject's emotional reaction to it. The key to ending a contact positively is to be polite and respectful 1.Tips to remember: ~ Avoid saying, "Have a nice day" as a form of closing. This comment may sound sarcastic, even if you did not mean it that way. After all, if you have given a person a citation or taken similar action, it is probably not a "nice day" for that person.

~Arbitration is a process by which a person in authority makes decisions about what actions are to be taken in order to stabilize a situation, once attempts to seek cooperation prove ineffective and/or safety is compromised. ~You make a request for a subject to do something, explaining why that action is needed. If the subject refuses, you then offer limited choices—usually only two—and give the subject a moment to decide. If the subject does not make it clear what alternative he or she has chosen, you check to make sure what the choice is, and then you take appropriate action, depending on what the subject chose. REACT: ~Request cooperation: * "Sir, please leave now." * "Ma'am, please get your things together and come with me." ~Explain reason: No one likes to be asked (or ordered) to do things without some explanation. Examples: "The resident here wants you out, and the law gives him the right to decide." "We have to move you to Pod G for a few days because of your disciplinary violation." ~Allow choice: * Another way of showing respect for someone is to permit the person to save face—to give the impression that he or she chose to do what in the end he or she would have to do. * Examples: "Sir, you have to leave. If you don't go voluntarily, I'll have to arrest you for trespassing and forcibly remove you. It'll be a lot easier if you just leave on your own." * the subjects are given the option of going voluntarily or going in handcuffs or by force. While neither of these alternatives is what the subject wants, they do provide the appearance of choice—and an opportunity to save face ~Check decision * Sometimes the subject will choose one of the options presented right away; other times, he or she will not respond or insist on doing something other than the options you've presented. This step gives you an opportunity to be sure that you understand what the subject has chosen, or to bring the subject back to the decision at hand—a decision that is his or hers to make. *Examples: "Sir, that's not one of the options. You have to leave. The only question is whether you go voluntarily. Will you leave or do we have to place you under arrest?" the subjects strayed from the options presented, and the officers had to bring them back on track. ~Take action * The final step in the arbitration process is the resolution. In a way, the outcome was never in doubt—you will use arbitration only when you already know that compliance with your request is the only acceptable outcome. On the other hand, our goal is voluntary compliance, and that outcome is never guaranteed. In this example, the subject agreed to leave. The officer then could act accordingly, by maintaining a polite, respectful, courteous tone—but also making sure that the subject carried out his promise to leave. Examples: "Thank you. I'll walk you out. I appreciate your cooperation." "Thank you for cooperating. I'll take you to Pod G."

~Mediation refers to a conflict resolution process involving the intervention of an acceptable, impartial, and neutral third party to assist contending parties to voluntarily reach their own mutually-acceptable settlement in a dispute. ~ Keep several things in mind when you are considering mediation: *Officer safety must not be compromised. *Subjects must be willing to talk. *Subjects must remain rational. *Subjects must be willing to compromise. *Subjects must not get physical ~Follow these steps: 1. Introduce yourself, if you have not already done so, as well as anyone else—such as another officer or officers. If the subjects do not apparently know each other, introduce them. Also, express your appreciation for their cooperation. 2. Explain your role as a mediator. Explain that you will not take sides for either party, and that the people involved must make any decisions. 3. Make clear that everything that is said during the mediation process will remain part of a professional police contact. 4. Go over the mediation process, in a basic way. At a minimum, go over the following points: Only one person may speak at a time. There are to be no interruptions. When one person is talking, the other person is just to listen, not interrupt or disagree. The subjects must work together toward their own agreement. You, as the mediator will not impose or order or direct them to do anything. The agreement that they come to will be noted in your officer's report. That is, there will be documentation of what has been agreed to. 5. Ask for questions. If people have questions, try to answer them. 6. Try to get verbal agreement to use the mediation process to try to resolve their conflict.