Cja 304: Communication Skills In Law Enforcement
Communication Skills
CJA 304
11/14/2013
University of Phoenix
Communication Skills
In law enforcement it is critical for officers to be proficient in the art of communication both written and oral. All officers from a rookie to the head of command will find that a career in criminal justice demands a person “read, write, and understand what is written, as well as to orally transmit and receive information” (Wallace & Roberson, 2009). Communication has a flow of information that follows an informal and formal channel of communication. The informal way of communication would be talking to a group of friends in a lunchroom and a formal way of communication would be in a courtroom testimony. In order for an individual to …show more content…
communicate one must be able not to just listen, but the person must be able to hear. If a person is ineffective at listening just happens to be one of the one of the major barriers of the five barriers of communication. The barriers of communication are what avert people from passing on information clearly and promptly. Without proper communication in the law enforcement field there can be major fallouts within the departments. Braking down effective communication in order to gain a better understanding of what is needed to have strong communicated organization. Communication is a several step process that involves two or more individuals. The primary purpose of communication is to exchange or share information. Law enforcement interpersonal skills involve communication between a citizen and an officer or between a special investigator and an officer; or it could be a group of officers involving in communicating among another. The process of communication will involve two types of communication: verbal and nonverbal. Nonverbal communication can come in different forms and can help an officer decipher whether or not a person is telling the truth or lying. A nonverbal way of communication would be written communication via e-mail, reports, and notes from meetings, notes taken from victim and suspects, etc. Nonverbal communication may include facial expressions. Body language is one of the biggest ways an officer can either help a person or victim or question a potential suspect to see if the person is avoiding the truth. Facial expressions or body language can be used to convey emotions when words are not present. In some cases reading a person’s body language can send the person the wrong message, even though the words are saying something completely different. Nonverbal communication is emotions, how the person is feeling. Nonverbal communication is commonly used in routine traffic stops for DUI’s because most suspects will lie when they are drunk. Officers doing these stops can determine quickly if a person is drunk because of his or her body language and eye movements. The officer will then perform a sobriety test, sobriety test is a way to determine if the person is drunk but the person’s body language will be the factor that gives away the suspects lies. Verbal communication is transmitting information vocally. This type of communication could include sharing information or expressing an idea between two individuals or a group of people. When verbally communicating, it is important to have the right tone and establish credibility from the start. During verbal communication an individual must speak objectively, clear, and consistently. Speaking is just one part of verbal communication. Verbal communication also involves listening from the receiver or receivers and giving feedback to the sender as a confirmation that the message was received and understood. When discussing verbal communication there is one common misconception that it is only speaking face-to-face. Reading more into communication that is not a true statement, listening is a major part of communication and make a difference when people understand what is actually going on. When in a criminal justice organization, “oral communication skills are necessary to talk with members of the general public, request assistance from other officers, advise suspects of their Miranda rights, and inform supervisors that certain actions have occurred.” (Wallace & Roberson, 2009). It is required for an officer to do a large amount of verbal communication to fulfill the essential duties of working in the law enforcement. When speaking to another individual one must consider the listener and how he or she may interpret what is being said. Not every person will understand everything said right away and may need more information to get a complete grasp on what is going on. If an individual takes the time to consider their listener, he or she may be able to get their point across in clear and timely manner. This will also help the listener gain a full understanding of the subject at hand. The formal process of communication requires a person to transmit an idea, sending the message or idea through a medium (verbal or nonverbal message), receiving the message, understanding the idea, and giving feedback to the person who sent the message. With the first step, gathering thoughts of an idea “implies the formation of one or several thoughts and the desire to express these ideas” (Wallace & Roberson, 2009). Followed by choosing a way of communicating that idea. Communicating an idea could be done in both forms of communication, both verbal and nonverbal communication. It does not matter what method is used, what is important is knowing who the audience is and deciding what tone the message is to be delivered. When in criminal justice the formal and informal communication boundaries that must be followed in order to keep the continuity with inside the department. The border patrol agents follow a strict set of rules and regulations set by the government and leadership. This is a formal way of communication and is the backbone for a successful criminal justice organization. Though formal communication is used in most businesses, within border patrol the government has set rules in place to keep the agents within the laws. Border patrol agents always use formal communication amongst their superiors to keep the professionalism in the department. If by chance border patrol does not abide to the rules and regulations put forth by the government the individual or individuals will be in deep trouble, leading to a possible termination from his or her position. When border patrol deals with the Mexican border all agents need to stay within their boundaries or take the chance of facing serious repercussions. The informal way of communication is the exact opposite of formal.
The informal way of communication gives the border patrol more freedom in the way they handle business. Though they must follow rules and regulations, the informal way of communication is referred to as the grapevine of communication. The informal way of communication is more relaxed, and there is no set agenda that needs to be followed. The problem or downfall to informal communication is that the topics brought up or discussed may not be true, which will lead to rumors or drama, and is not highly encouraged in most criminal justice organizations. Though not to say that coworkers may not talk freely about day-to-day events, but if it is a work related issue being discussed they must be done in a formal and professional …show more content…
manner. In the criminal justice organization the communication barriers are the biggest issues within the organization. There are a verity of types of barriers that affect the any organizations communication skills. All border patrol agents are trained to speak and understand Spanish fluently in many regions of the United States, but there can still be a language barrier. Just like the English language slang is used in the Mexican culture and makes it harder for a border patrol agent to understand or acknowledge what a suspect may be trying to say. Some words like stop and stay may be universal but when a person from border patrol is trying to figure out where the suspect came from or who brought him or her there, there will be a bit of a language barrier. One way the border patrol helps to solve this problem like this is that they have a partner who is either from Mexico or speaks the language of the land, this way he or she can have a conversation with the suspects. Another major barrier in communication is focusing on a response before the speaker has completed what he or she were saying. It is common for individuals to formulate a quick, but it is important to listen to what has been said. If the individual is already formulating a response he or she may miss the crucial part of the discussion, and the response will steer the conversation off path. In some cases information overload is the communication barrier, and this happens a lot in any area in the criminal justice field. A person may ask a question, and the response will contain loads of information that the person will not have time to process everything that was said. In communication criticizing the speaker can be a big barrier in communication. If an officer from border patrol is interviewing a potential suspect, and he or she continues to criticize everything that the suspect say, he or she could miss some crucial information. To avoid these types of situation a person should simply listen to what is being said and hold the criticism until he or she has proof or valid points. When discussing effective communication it is a very broad and informative topic that cannot be covered in just one paper.
There is so much helpful and useful keys to effective information. Verbal and nonverbal communication skills are important in the criminal justice field because without verbal and nonverbal stopping crimes and working together as a team would not happen. Formal communication must be used to keep a professional standard or continuity. Where informal communication can be used to keep the morale up in the organization. A person must listen to what other people are saying and actually hear what he or she said to process and properly respond to the request. When there are barriers in place each organization must find solutions in order to overcome the barriers and become a better team. Effective communication skills are used daily by people worldwide. Effective communication is a great way to keep continuity within an organization, but if criminal justice organizations use effective communication they become a stronger group and are always three steps ahead of the
criminals.
References
Effective communication for criminal justice professionals. . Belmont, CA 94002-: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning. Lee, Hatesohl, D, D. (1993, October).
Listening: our most used communication skill. Retrieved from http://extension.missouri.edu/publications/DisplayPub.aspx?P=CM150 Rahman, Hirsch, Shah, I, J, S. (2007, September 1).
Miller. L. S., & Whitehead, J. T. (2011). Report writing for criminal justice professionals (4th ed.). Burlington, MA: Anderson Publishing.
Stainbrook, M. G. (2004, August). Rallying your troops. Retrieved May 28, 2012, from Police Mag: http://www.policemag.com/Channel/Patrol/Articles/Print/Story/2004/08/Rallying-the-Troops.aspx
University of Waterloo. (2000). Centre of Teaching Excellence. Retrieved from http://cte.uwaterloo.ca/teaching_resources/tips/effective_communication_barriers_and_strategies.html
Wallace, H. & Roberson, C. (2009). Written and interpersonal communication: Methods for law enforcement (4th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.
CJA 304
11/14/2013
University of Phoenix
Communication Skills
In law enforcement it is critical for officers to be proficient in the art of communication both written and oral. All officers from a rookie to the head of command will find that a career in criminal justice demands a person “read, write, and understand what is written, as well as to orally transmit and receive information” (Wallace & Roberson, 2009). Communication has a flow of information that follows an informal and formal channel of communication. The informal way of communication would be talking to a group of friends in a lunchroom and a formal way of communication would be in a courtroom testimony. In order for an individual to …show more content…
communicate one must be able not to just listen, but the person must be able to hear. If a person is ineffective at listening just happens to be one of the one of the major barriers of the five barriers of communication. The barriers of communication are what avert people from passing on information clearly and promptly. Without proper communication in the law enforcement field there can be major fallouts within the departments. Braking down effective communication in order to gain a better understanding of what is needed to have strong communicated organization. Communication is a several step process that involves two or more individuals. The primary purpose of communication is to exchange or share information. Law enforcement interpersonal skills involve communication between a citizen and an officer or between a special investigator and an officer; or it could be a group of officers involving in communicating among another. The process of communication will involve two types of communication: verbal and nonverbal. Nonverbal communication can come in different forms and can help an officer decipher whether or not a person is telling the truth or lying. A nonverbal way of communication would be written communication via e-mail, reports, and notes from meetings, notes taken from victim and suspects, etc. Nonverbal communication may include facial expressions. Body language is one of the biggest ways an officer can either help a person or victim or question a potential suspect to see if the person is avoiding the truth. Facial expressions or body language can be used to convey emotions when words are not present. In some cases reading a person’s body language can send the person the wrong message, even though the words are saying something completely different. Nonverbal communication is emotions, how the person is feeling. Nonverbal communication is commonly used in routine traffic stops for DUI’s because most suspects will lie when they are drunk. Officers doing these stops can determine quickly if a person is drunk because of his or her body language and eye movements. The officer will then perform a sobriety test, sobriety test is a way to determine if the person is drunk but the person’s body language will be the factor that gives away the suspects lies. Verbal communication is transmitting information vocally. This type of communication could include sharing information or expressing an idea between two individuals or a group of people. When verbally communicating, it is important to have the right tone and establish credibility from the start. During verbal communication an individual must speak objectively, clear, and consistently. Speaking is just one part of verbal communication. Verbal communication also involves listening from the receiver or receivers and giving feedback to the sender as a confirmation that the message was received and understood. When discussing verbal communication there is one common misconception that it is only speaking face-to-face. Reading more into communication that is not a true statement, listening is a major part of communication and make a difference when people understand what is actually going on. When in a criminal justice organization, “oral communication skills are necessary to talk with members of the general public, request assistance from other officers, advise suspects of their Miranda rights, and inform supervisors that certain actions have occurred.” (Wallace & Roberson, 2009). It is required for an officer to do a large amount of verbal communication to fulfill the essential duties of working in the law enforcement. When speaking to another individual one must consider the listener and how he or she may interpret what is being said. Not every person will understand everything said right away and may need more information to get a complete grasp on what is going on. If an individual takes the time to consider their listener, he or she may be able to get their point across in clear and timely manner. This will also help the listener gain a full understanding of the subject at hand. The formal process of communication requires a person to transmit an idea, sending the message or idea through a medium (verbal or nonverbal message), receiving the message, understanding the idea, and giving feedback to the person who sent the message. With the first step, gathering thoughts of an idea “implies the formation of one or several thoughts and the desire to express these ideas” (Wallace & Roberson, 2009). Followed by choosing a way of communicating that idea. Communicating an idea could be done in both forms of communication, both verbal and nonverbal communication. It does not matter what method is used, what is important is knowing who the audience is and deciding what tone the message is to be delivered. When in criminal justice the formal and informal communication boundaries that must be followed in order to keep the continuity with inside the department. The border patrol agents follow a strict set of rules and regulations set by the government and leadership. This is a formal way of communication and is the backbone for a successful criminal justice organization. Though formal communication is used in most businesses, within border patrol the government has set rules in place to keep the agents within the laws. Border patrol agents always use formal communication amongst their superiors to keep the professionalism in the department. If by chance border patrol does not abide to the rules and regulations put forth by the government the individual or individuals will be in deep trouble, leading to a possible termination from his or her position. When border patrol deals with the Mexican border all agents need to stay within their boundaries or take the chance of facing serious repercussions. The informal way of communication is the exact opposite of formal.
The informal way of communication gives the border patrol more freedom in the way they handle business. Though they must follow rules and regulations, the informal way of communication is referred to as the grapevine of communication. The informal way of communication is more relaxed, and there is no set agenda that needs to be followed. The problem or downfall to informal communication is that the topics brought up or discussed may not be true, which will lead to rumors or drama, and is not highly encouraged in most criminal justice organizations. Though not to say that coworkers may not talk freely about day-to-day events, but if it is a work related issue being discussed they must be done in a formal and professional …show more content…
manner. In the criminal justice organization the communication barriers are the biggest issues within the organization. There are a verity of types of barriers that affect the any organizations communication skills. All border patrol agents are trained to speak and understand Spanish fluently in many regions of the United States, but there can still be a language barrier. Just like the English language slang is used in the Mexican culture and makes it harder for a border patrol agent to understand or acknowledge what a suspect may be trying to say. Some words like stop and stay may be universal but when a person from border patrol is trying to figure out where the suspect came from or who brought him or her there, there will be a bit of a language barrier. One way the border patrol helps to solve this problem like this is that they have a partner who is either from Mexico or speaks the language of the land, this way he or she can have a conversation with the suspects. Another major barrier in communication is focusing on a response before the speaker has completed what he or she were saying. It is common for individuals to formulate a quick, but it is important to listen to what has been said. If the individual is already formulating a response he or she may miss the crucial part of the discussion, and the response will steer the conversation off path. In some cases information overload is the communication barrier, and this happens a lot in any area in the criminal justice field. A person may ask a question, and the response will contain loads of information that the person will not have time to process everything that was said. In communication criticizing the speaker can be a big barrier in communication. If an officer from border patrol is interviewing a potential suspect, and he or she continues to criticize everything that the suspect say, he or she could miss some crucial information. To avoid these types of situation a person should simply listen to what is being said and hold the criticism until he or she has proof or valid points. When discussing effective communication it is a very broad and informative topic that cannot be covered in just one paper.
There is so much helpful and useful keys to effective information. Verbal and nonverbal communication skills are important in the criminal justice field because without verbal and nonverbal stopping crimes and working together as a team would not happen. Formal communication must be used to keep a professional standard or continuity. Where informal communication can be used to keep the morale up in the organization. A person must listen to what other people are saying and actually hear what he or she said to process and properly respond to the request. When there are barriers in place each organization must find solutions in order to overcome the barriers and become a better team. Effective communication skills are used daily by people worldwide. Effective communication is a great way to keep continuity within an organization, but if criminal justice organizations use effective communication they become a stronger group and are always three steps ahead of the
criminals.
References
Effective communication for criminal justice professionals. . Belmont, CA 94002-: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning. Lee, Hatesohl, D, D. (1993, October).
Listening: our most used communication skill. Retrieved from http://extension.missouri.edu/publications/DisplayPub.aspx?P=CM150 Rahman, Hirsch, Shah, I, J, S. (2007, September 1).
Miller. L. S., & Whitehead, J. T. (2011). Report writing for criminal justice professionals (4th ed.). Burlington, MA: Anderson Publishing.
Stainbrook, M. G. (2004, August). Rallying your troops. Retrieved May 28, 2012, from Police Mag: http://www.policemag.com/Channel/Patrol/Articles/Print/Story/2004/08/Rallying-the-Troops.aspx
University of Waterloo. (2000). Centre of Teaching Excellence. Retrieved from http://cte.uwaterloo.ca/teaching_resources/tips/effective_communication_barriers_and_strategies.html
Wallace, H. & Roberson, C. (2009). Written and interpersonal communication: Methods for law enforcement (4th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.