CHAPTER 16: THE POLICE LEADER AS AGENCY SPOKESPERSON

Question 1

THE POLICE LEADER AS AGENCY SPOKESPERSON

The sharp police leader can survive the media circus, even when he is in the center ring. All that is required is an ample supply of common sense, an __________ of telling the truth, a willingness to treat others as he would want to be treated himself, and adherence to a few basic guidelines for feeding the news hounds without getting bitten. It all starts with thorough, careful preparation.

Answer 1

ingrained habit

Question 2

GET THE FACTS STRAIGHT

The law enforcement supervisor would not attempt to write a
police report or employee performance appraisal without first getting the facts, double checking them for _____, and organizing them for presentation.

Answer 2

accuracy

Question 3

GET THE FACTS STRAIGHT

In gathering the data needed to respond to a media grilling, the supervisor should expect to be questioned on at least the basic “5 W’s and an H” ingrained in reporters from journalism school onwards:

WHO—Who was the victim? Who was the offender? Who was
hurt or killed? Who else was involved?
WHAT—What happened here? What may happen next? What are
the police doing about it?
WHEN—What was the time and date of the crime or incident?
When did other, related key events take place, such as arrests, search-es, pronouncements at the hospital?
WHERE—What was the location of the main event? How about
the location of related events, such as arrests or searches?
WHY—Is there a motive that the police are willing to talk about?
Why did the accident occur? Why did law enforcement respond as it did?
HOW—How was the crime committed? How did the accident happen? How did law enforcement solve the crime and make the arrest?

Answer 3

Give the media enough accurate information to work with.

Question 4

GET THE FACTS STRAIGHT

It is absolutely vital that the front-line leader be _______ with his department’s rules on media relations as well as information release and follow them to the letter.

Answer 4

conversant

Question 5

GET THE FACTS STRAIGHT

From the news-gatherer’s point of view, the only thing worse than getting no information at all from the on-scene law enforcement representative is getting _________ information that will require correction or clarification in print, on-line, or on the air later on.

Answer 5

inaccurate

Question 6

GET THE FACTS STRAIGHT

He will go to the best on-scene source for his data. That likely will be the investigating officer or detective in charge of the case. It could be a written report. The supervisor will double-check names and addresses for _______. If criminal charges are involved, he will be sure they are relayed accurately to the media.

Answer 6

accuracy

Question 7

GET THE FACTS STRAIGHT

It is best that the supervisor avoid giving _______, even if asked, and stick strictly to what is factual.

Answer 7

opinions

Question 8

ANTICIPATE AND PRACTICE

One way to determine which facts he needs to know is to place himself in the reporter’s shoes. What would he want to know if the roles were _______? Some queries are fairly easy to anticipate. Some version of who and what will almost always be important.

Answer 8

reversed

Question 9

ANTICIPATE AND PRACTICE

Citing to news media representatives his agency’s guidelines for what can and cannot be released may take at least a little of the pressure off his back.

Answer 9

It is okay to let the media know that your department and its policies do not allow you to answer certain questions.

Question 10

ANTICIPATE AND PRACTICE

It is perfectly acceptable to ask a newsperson what he or she plans
to ask so as to be ready with the answers when a live or recorded in-terview gets underway. At the same time, the supervisor should remain aware that it is ______ a reporter will tell him in advance every question he will ask. This is not necessarily deceptiveness on the part of the reporter. The interview may simply have developed in direc-tions that called for additional queries.

Answer 10

unlikely

Question 11

WHAT TO SAY

DO furnish a general overview of the crime or incident, includ-ing times, places, and crimes involved.
• DO obey local and state laws governing the release of sensitive information, such as the identity of sex crime or child abuse vic-tims.
• DO identify yourself and provide a telephone number and e-mail address where you can be reached, if necessary.
• DO provide the name of a follow-up contact person, such as the department’s public information officer, unless you will continue to be the contact throughout.

• DON’T release the names of deceased persons until next of kin have been notified.
• DON’T release the amount of monetary loss in a property crime. • DON’T give out information that may become an investigative key, such as the type of weapon used in a homicide.
• DON’T express opinions about motives involved or the guilt or innocence of anyone.
• DON’T comment on evidence, such as confessions, admissions, the presence of fingerprints or DNA, etc.

Answer 11

The written media relations policies and procedures.

Question 12

WHAT TO SAY

The media as well as the public in general hold law enforcement
personnel to a particularly high standard for integrity and truthfulness. Veteran reporter Mike Wallace of _________ fame had this advice for the law enforcement person facing a media blitz: “Credibility in an interviewee comes from openness, a willingness to take questions, the understanding that most reporters are simply trying to do the job they are paid for. Some police interviewees seem reluctant to believe that.”

Answer 12

“60 MINUTES”

Question 13

WHAT TO SAY

That same veteran reporter had an additional piece of good advice
for the law enforcement interviewee: “We’ll forgive you for not knowing. But we won’t forgive or _____ if you lie to us.”

Answer 13

forget

Question 14

WHAT TO SAY

During this whole game of thrust and parry, the media-savvy law enforcement leader must call upon all of the self-control he has developed over a career in policing in order to remain courteous, keep smiling, and convey an honest and _______ image for professionalism for both himself and his organization.

Answer 14

earned

Question 15

DOING IT ON TELEVISION

Today, Americans form many of their beliefs about law enforcement and law enforcement officers from what they see on _______. The police agency of the twenty-first century can ill afford to come across looking anything other than competent and professional to a critical viewing audience.

Answer 15

television

Question 16

DOING IT ON TELEVISION

Keep your statements and responses short and concise. Remember that a local newscast may devote _______ or less to your answers.

Answer 16

15 seconds

Question 17

DOING IT ON TELEVISION

Never get _______ angry with an interviewer, even if you feel he is deliberately misrepresenting the facts or attempting to lead you somewhere you do not want to go. Simply restate the facts, if need be, and keep your cool.

Answer 17

visibly

Question 18

TRAPS TO AVOID

Three restrictions on news-gathering activities are reasonable and are easily explained to any member of the press questioning their propriety:

1) First, the media cannot be permitted to ______ evidence or other-wise contaminate a scene.

2) Second, the media cannot be allowed to obstruct or interfere with
police operations on-scene.

3) Third, members of the media must not be allowed or assisted to
break the law.

Answer 18

destroy

Question 19

TRAPS TO AVOID

1) First, the media cannot be permitted to destroy evidence or other-wise contaminate a scene.

Carrying a camera or notepad may not give one _________, but it should not deny freedoms accorded others, either.

Answer 19

special privileges

Question 20

TRAPS TO AVOID

2) Second, the media cannot be allowed to obstruct or interfere with
police operations on-scene.

The offending journalist must be told _________, politely, and firmly to desist. Taking a member of the press into physical custody for interference at an incident scene should remain a last option for the police supervisor, after warnings and other mea-sures have failed. But it remains an option nonetheless.

Answer 20

immediately

Question 21

TRAPS TO AVOID

3) Third, members of the media must not be allowed or assisted to
break the law.

Have a good reason for what you do. Unless you can identify a ______ reason why the media should not be allowed to do something, it is probably alright to allow them to proceed.

Answer 21

tangible

Question 22

TRAPS TO AVOID

Other traps to avoid include the tricks that certain journalists
sometimes pull on their interview subjects. These tricks and their anti-dotes include the following:

1) The dead air ploy.
2) The convoluted questioner.
3) The misinterpreter.
4)
5) Going “off the record”.

Answer 22

The interrupter

Question 23

TRAPS TO AVOID

Other traps to avoid include the tricks that certain journalists
sometimes pull on their interview subjects. These tricks and their anti-dotes include the following:

1) The dead air ploy.

The police supervisor should _________ and return his interviewer’s gaze. Nothing else has to be said. After a few volleys of this game, the interviewer may get the picture and desist.

Answer 23

remain silent

Question 24

TRAPS TO AVOID

Other traps to avoid include the tricks that certain journalists
sometimes pull on their interview subjects. These tricks and their anti-dotes include the following:

2) The convoluted questioner.

He also can laughingly tell his questioner that he’s a little ________ by the lengthy query and ask him to repeat each part of the question before he answers it just to be sure everyone is on the same page.

Answer 24

confused

Question 25

TRAPS TO AVOID

Other traps to avoid include the tricks that certain journalists
sometimes pull on their interview subjects. These tricks and their anti-dotes include the following:

3) The misinterpreter.

This character may begin the interview by stating ____________ information, or he may paraphrase the super-visor’s answer incorrectly or with a different meaning than its speaker intended. Whatever the case, the law enforcement leader must stop everything and politely correct his conversation partner. A good street cop is accustomed to taking control of a situation or conversation under less than perfect circumstances. It is perfectly acceptable to take control of a media interview, too, but quietly and with a good-sized dollop of courtesy thrown in for good measure.

Answer 25

factually incorrect

Question 26

TRAPS TO AVOID

Other traps to avoid include the tricks that certain journalists
sometimes pull on their interview subjects. These tricks and their anti-dotes include the following:

4) The interrupter.

They may not be hesitant to smother the interviewee’s version of events with one of their own. The police supervisor faced with interruptions to what he is trying to say must keep talking, raising his voice slightly if need be, until he is _______ with what he initially intended to say.

Answer 26

finished

Question 27

TRAPS TO AVOID

Other traps to avoid include the tricks that certain journalists
sometimes pull on their interview subjects. These tricks and their anti-dotes include the following:

4) The interrupter.

While it sounds (and is) rude to have two people talking at once, this is one exception to the mandate for absolute courtesy to the media. The polite interviewee who clams up every time his tormentor begins spouting may find at the end of the interview that he never had a chance to place his important message in front of his audience. The law enforcement leader cannot allow that to happen.

Answer 27

Do not allow yourself to be out talked.

Question 28

TRAPS TO AVOID

Other traps to avoid include the tricks that certain journalists
sometimes pull on their interview subjects. These tricks and their anti-dotes include the following:

Going “off the record.”

The obvious _______ to off the record dangers is not to play the game at all.

Answer 28

defense

Question 29

WRITING A NEWS RELEASE

The police supervisor should find doing a news release no more
difficult than completing the other _____ assignments he handles on a regular basis. By following a few guidelines as well as the dictates of his good common sense, he can produce a document that both satisfies the needs of the media and serves the interests of the law enforcement agency.

A Few Suggestions:

1) Include the “5 W’s and an H”
2) Keep it short
3) Type it, if Feasible
4) Avoid jargon and legalese
5) It must be right
6) Avoid giving opinions
7) Give it authority and credibility.
8) Get required approvals
9) Do not overuse it
10) Timeliness is vital

Answer 29

writing

Question 30

WRITING A NEWS RELEASE

2) Keep it short

The release should be kept to a single, double-spaced page or less. The facts should go in _______ order of importance. Sentences and paragraphs should be short, concise, and to the point.

Answer 30

descending

Question 31

WRITING A NEWS RELEASE

3) Type it, if feasible.

The information should be keyboarded on one side of an __________ by eleven sheet of white paper. If typing is out of the question, the writer should block print neatly.

Answer 31

eight and one-half

Question 32

WRITING A NEWS RELEASE

4) Avoid jargon and legalese.

“Perps” and “pinches” do not belong in news releases. Times and dates should be written in ______, not military, fashion.

Answer 32

civilian

Question 33

WRITING A NEWS RELEASE

6) Avoid giving opinions.

News releases should not refer to “brave” officers or “guilty” offend-ers. The news release should report exactly what happened in a clear and __________ manner. It is then up to the reader of the docu-ment to use his intelligence to form his own opinions.

Answer 33

straightforward

Question 34

WRITING A NEWS RELEASE

8) Get required approvals.

The supervisor also should know if his or her boss’s signoff is ______ before the release goes out. A news release once placed into the public domain is virtually impossible to recall.

Answer 34

required

Question 35

WRITING A NEWS RELEASE

10) Timeliness is vital.

Most news organizations feel that, to be of interest to their audience, police news is best savored fresh. Internet for news and accompanying video clips. The “get it now” nature of Internet news assures that stale stories are quickly ______ from the Net’s pages. If the supervisor wants his or her people to get deserved credit for excellent work, the news release should be pre-pared and disseminated as shortly after the event as practical.

Answer 35

deleted

Question 36

SUMMARY

The public gets most of its information about law enforcement offi-cers and law enforcement operations from Internet news, television, radio, and the print media. Clearly it is in the best interest of the supervisor, his employer, and the policing profession that all information reaching the public is ______ and, whenever possible, presents law enforcement and its people in a positive light.

Answer 36

accurate

Question 37

POINTS TO REMEMBER:

The supervisor must know his agency’s media policies so that he is aware of what he can and cannot _______ to a reporter.

Answer 37

release

Question 38

POINTS TO REMEMBER:

_______ providing false information to the media is an unethi-cal practice.

Answer 38

Intentionally

Question 39

POINTS TO REMEMBER:

_______ for an interview with a reporter helps calm the jitters while the spokesperson organizes what he wants to say.

Answer 39

Practicing

Question 40

POINTS TO REMEMBER:

Once it has been said the reporter has no _____ obligation not to use a statement from a law enforcement leader

Answer 40

legal

Question 41

POINTS TO REMEMBER:

All microphones and cameras present should be considered _____ at all times.

Answer 41

live

Question 42

POINTS TO REMEMBER:

Going “off the record” with a reporter is ____.

Answer 42

risky

Question 43

POINTS TO REMEMBER:

Media representatives must not be allowed to _______ law enforcement operations, contaminate scenes, or break the law.

Answer 43

obstruct

Question 44

POINTS TO REMEMBER:

Reporters use a number of tricks to get more out of the spokesperson than he ______ to say.

Answer 44

intended

Question 45

POINTS TO REMEMBER:

News releases should be brief, _____, accurate, timely, and devoid of the opinions of the writer.

Answer 45

clear

Question 46

POINTS TO REMEMBER:

Internet news should not be overlooked for its _____ to law enforcement and public alike.

Answer 46

value