Media and Police: Bridges to the Community

1
Media and Police Bridges to the Community

• Karen L. Amendola, Ph.D.
• Police Foundation
• Institute for Integrity, Leadership, and
  Professionalism
• December 7, 2001

2
Whos Policing the Police?The Stories

• Racial/ethnic profiling
• Abuse of authority
• Excessive use of force (frequency)
• Use of excessive force (degree)
• Litigation
• Recruitment
• Need for new performance standards
• Civilian oversight
• Early warning systems

3
CUTTING EDGE POLICE ISSUES

• Post 9-11 environment has led to need for greater
  citizen involvement in law enforcement
• Community trust and confidence in the police is
  essential for ensuring safety, security, and
  compliance with basic principles of democracy
  (fairness, equity)

4
Racial/Ethnic ProfilingThe Story Behind the
Story

• More complex than it appears on the face
• NOT just about data collection, but why collect
  data, what to collect, and what questions it may
  answer
• The issue is important because of long standing
  social conditions, and community perceptions of
  bias or CULTURE

5
Abuse of AuthorityThe Story Behind the Story

• Officers believe that the public and media are
  too concerned with police abuse of authority
  (Weisburd, Greenspan, Hamilton, Bryant, Williams
  Police Foundation Report)
• It is as much about the Culture (inside the
  police agency and outside) as it is about the
  individual officers

6
Force Frequency/DegreeThe Story Behind the
Story

• We emphasize less than lethal force, but not
  necessarily alternatives to force altogether
• Emphasis on force more often than kindness
  (kindness and policing seem not to go together)
• Seoul Korea Metro Police
• Concept of FRIENDLY POLICING
• Force is about the Culture (inside and outside
  the agency)

7
LitigationThe Story Behind the Story

• Increasing numbers of law suits has led to need
  for accountability mechanisms
• Agencies must recognize that positive
  relationships with the community, media, and
  officers can limit litigation
• Again, litigation is as much about the internal
  and external Culture as it is about specific cases

8
Difficulty in RecruitingThe Story Behind the
Story

• Loss of respect toward police and a strong 90s
  economy
• Problem not quantity, but quality
• Quality isnt just about MONEY
• Inconsistency in recruitment messages! (Amendola,
  ACJS)
• Again, the Culture (internal and external)
  influences recruitment

9
Performance StandardsThe Story Behind the
Story

• We still do not know what constitutes good
  performance
• We need new ideas of what to measure and how
• Police culture has focused on the easily
  measurable (again, Culture plays a major role)

10
Oversight EWSThe Story Behind the Story

• Demands for early identification of problem
  officers and citizen oversight have resulted
  from
• Perceptions of unfair treatment
• Perceptions of bias in policing
• LACK OF COMMUNITY TRUST AND CONFIDENCE IN THE
  POLICE (THE ISSUE)this is all about Culture

11
THE STORY

• All issues flow to or from community trust and
  confidence
• The issues do NOT exist in isolation to resolve
  the issues requires addressing CULTURE and
  ENVIRONMENT as a whole system
• Police-community-media-politics, etc.

12
Parallels between Police and Media

• Community confidence and trust are essential to
  police success, as well as to media success
• Similar roles??
• Similar tools??
• Similar environments???

13
OUR ROLE
Police
Media

• Expose the Unexposed
• Investigate
• Provide Service
• Provide Information
• Educate
• Get the Facts or Story

• Provide Protection
• Investigate
• Provide Service
• Provide Information
• Educate
• Get the Bad Guys

14
TOOLS of the TRADE
Police
Media

• Sources
• Technology
• Advertiser and Subscriber

• Informants
• Technology
• Citizen Tax

15
OUR ENVIRONMENT
Police
Media

• SAME?
• SAME?
• SAME?
• SAME?
• SAME?

• Internal and External Politics
• High Pace, High Pressure
• 24/7 Schedule
• Often Dangerous
• Driven by Community Needs

16
POLICE-MEDIA-COMMUNITY RELATIONSHIP

• Community confidence and trust in police is
  highly influenced by media
• Many police dont trust media, so they fail to
  provide information
• Negative police actions are often not fully
  explained by police or media so police appear to
  be hiding information more mistrust
• The police get defensive about the negative
  portrayals, and therefore are seen as supporting
  bad behavior

17
Need for Community Bridges Police and Media Role

• The Police and Media have an obligation to work
  together in progressive ways to promote community
  trust and confidence, by earning it
• TV tickers, news and magazine Police Scorecard
  provide ongoing data and information