OPOTA UNIT 3 – 48 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

Traditional Media Sources newspapers, radio and television Key similarities between traditional and non-traditional • Both afforded the same 1st amendment protections • Both entitled to the same physical access to the scene of an incident as each other and any private citizen • Both want access to information, in a user-friendly form, with audio and visuals (e.g., pictures, videos, sound recordings), and they want it in a timely fashion • Both are entitled to the same access to information as each other and any private citizen Brainpower Read More Previous Play Next Rewind 10 seconds Move forward 10 seconds Unmute 0:00 / 0:00 Full screen Key Differences Between Traditional and Non-traditional Media • Non-traditional media's primary objective is often sensationalism, whereas one of traditional media's primary objective's is accuracy • Non-traditional media is often advocacy focused, whereas traditional media is objective focused • Non-traditional is not held to a professional standard, whereas traditional media is held to the professional standards of journalism • Non-traditional media is less interested in relationship building with law enforcement because non-traditional media reporting is event driven, whereas traditional media, which regularly interacts with law enforcement on a variety of news events, is interested in developing good rapport with law enforcement Reasons for Establishing Effective Communications with the media You and the media each have a job to do and each can benefit from the cooperative nature of the other. This makes mutual respect for each other's objectives important For the media, information from law enforcement is necessary for them to develop and produce accurate news stories For the law enforcement agency - Media coverage influences public perception - Media provides a quick way to reach large audiences - Agencies need a method of disturbing information to the public about developing situations and threats and requesting assistance with, investigations, and media can fill that roll Guidelines for interacting with the media In general: Be prepared to think on your feet Be familiar with your agencies polices and procedures Respond within those polices and procedures Maintain a professional decorum at all times • Give consistent information to all the media outlets; make certain that all media on the scene receive the same message • Never speak off the record When media arrives at the scene: • Make certain the crime scene is secured • Establish a safe staging area for the media • Advise the media of the approximate timeframe that information will be made available • If you are going to refer the media to a supervisor or PIO, be aware that camera crews may still be recording and you may indirectly make a statement to the media by your actions and demeanor Preparing to give a Statement: • Prepare key messages; decide on one or two major points you wish to make • Be cognizant of personal appearance • Be aware of what is in the background Giving a Statement: • Avoid distracting mannerisms • Make eye contact, but don't stare into the camera • Keep your voice at normal, conversational level; be aware of how your tone may be perceived • Think before you speak • Remember, language that works within law enforcement circles may sound less tactful to a civilian audience Giving a statement • Explaining the process of what's happening can be helpful, even if it is obvious, but... • Keep your comments direct, concise, and brief; avoid police jargon • Be message driven, not question driven • Do not feel the need to fill "dead air" - stay on point, make your statement or answer the question then stop talking • Don't hesitate to correct yourself - accuracy is vital Additional tips for specific circumstances: • Questions you cannot answer: • Never give a personal opinion, speculate, predict, lie, or guess Three Characteristics of a crisis state • The person's behavior is at an intense emotional and irrational level (versus being rational/involving thought) and brought on in response to a critical incident • The critical incident occurred within 24 to 48 hours of the change in behavior • The person perceives the situation as overwhelming and a threat to his/her psychological and/or physical well-being Causes of Damage or stress to a Person's Brain That Result in a Person's mental Capacity Being Compromised ● Brain chemistry ● Developmental disabilities ● Deterioration of the brain ● Damage to the brain through severe stress and trauma ● Unbearable stress that causes suicidal thinking or actions ● Substance abuse Factors That Coupled with Mental Illness Produce the Greatest Increase in the Potential for Violence · Male · Forty years of age or younger, with untreated psychosis o Paranoid symptoms o Delusions o Narcissism Difference Between Traditional Encounters and Special Populations Encounters *** ... is the need to be non-confrontational Such a requirement to, in effect, shift gears is completely opposed to the way officers are routinely expected to, and may instinctively, try to control conflict ● The de-escalation paradox ○ When responding to an emergency, officers are forced to make split second decisions about their safety, and the safety of others ○ Those decisions are often based upon command and control tactics ○ The same command techniques employed to take a typical suspect into custody can escalate into violence during an encounter with a special populations individual ○ Taking a less physical, less authoritative, less controlling, less confrontational approach might provide the officer with more authority and control during such an encounter Active Listening Definition- attempting to hear and understand what a person is saying ● Purpose - most persons in crisis have a desire to be heard and be understood ○ Active listening attends to this need (i.e., it demonstrates that you are aware of and sensitive to the person's emotions) ○ Active listening is critical in developing a relationship that will assist in crisis resolution ● Officers who use active listening skills acquire additional facts that allow them to form accurate judgements about incidents or individuals ● Armed with more accurate information, you can identify better alternatives to resolve situations and respond or act more intelligently ● How to demonstrate active listening ● Mirroring (i.e, repeating the last few words or gist of the person in crisis) ● Demonstrates attentiveness ● Helps to clearly identify the specific concern and issues ● Paraphrasing (i.e., restating in your own words the person's message), which demonstrates listening and understanding ● Emotional labeling (i.e., identifying the other person's emotions) ○ Conveys effort to understand the person's situation, which can defuse the situation or calm the person's emotions ○ Summarizing (i.e., restating both the subjects message and emotion) ○ Clarifies what the person in experiencing ○ Reflects effort to understand the person's viewpoint of the situation Supplemental Active Listening Skills - Effective pauses (i.e., deliberative silences before or after making a meaningful comment) - Used before a meaningful statement increases attention and focus ● Minimal encouragements (i.e., questions that require more detailed responses than merely "yes" or "no" to properly answer the question - "What" and "how" questions allow you to assess the person's situation - Avoid "why" questions, which ,may imply interrogation LEAPS and Its Five Basic Communication Tools That Assist in Generating Compliance ● Listen - Actively listen and look interested ● Empathize - Try to understand where the person is coming from ● Ask - Ask general, open-ended questions and opinion-seeking to gain understanding ● Paraphrase - In your own words, repeat the persons message ● Summarize - Condense all that has been said and indicated the outcome, keeping it brief, concise, and inarguable EAR Models Three Phases of a Crisis Encounter 1. Engage 2. Assess 3. Resolve ● Purpose of Engage - make a connection with the person so you can calm him/her ● The first 10 seconds of a crisis or special populations encounter are critical in setting the tone for de-escalation ● Remove distractions from the scene ● Introduce yourself and ask for the person's name ● State the reason why you are there and let him/her know you are there to help ● If safety is not compromised, remember that special populations encounters are medical encounters and you should begin to look for identifiers ● Ask questions ● Vocalize about the subjects observable characteristics ● Ask the person "what help do you need right now"? ● Model calmness that you want the person to mirror ● In order to make a connection and calm the situation during the engage phase, you aced to be empathetic to the person's situation or state of mind, as individuals who feel they are understood and more inclined to calm down ● Speak softly, simply, briefly, and more slowly ● If there is more than one officer present, have one take the lead in communicating and de-escalating the situation to avoid confusion ● Purpose of Assess - gather the information you need about the situation and the person's condition so that you can make the needed resolution ● Remember, you threat assessment is continuous ● If the encounter changes and there is an imminent risk of harm, use the objective reasonableness standard to determine the amount of force necessary to gain control of the situation ● Recognize that the person may be overwhelmed by frightening beliefs, sounds, or other things in the environment ● Be patient during the encounter ● Check to see if a crime has been committed ● If the person perpetrated the crime, your job is to gain control of the situation, which may include, trying