Read Written And Interpersonal Communication Methods For Law Enforcement

2. Read Written & Interpersonal Communication Methods for Law Enforcement, then answer

1. Which form of communication, oral or written, is most important in each of the following situations? Justify your answers.

a. To the patrol officer on a beat.

Oral and written forms of communication depend on one another and are equally important forms of communication for a patrol officer. A patrol officer uses both forms of communication daily depending on the situation encountered. During an incident, a patrol officer uses oral communication to gather all the information the officer requires to clearly document the incident.

“These skills (oral and written) are intertwined and dependent on each other”.

Source: Harvey Wallace / Cliff Roberson

To the captain in charge of the Records Division

For a law enforcement Captain in charge of Records Division or any other supervisor, written or “downward communication” is more important than oral communication. The majority of the time, the information distributed by a Captain is regarding to policy, procedures or personnel changes. Formal channels of communication such as emails or memorandums are the preferred written form of communication by supervisors because it allows them to keep record of the information distributed to the department and or certain employees. Although written communication is the preferred form of communication by supervisors, supervisors are always open to orally communicate with employees to clarify any questions or concerns.

Source: Harvey Wallace / Cliff Roberson (2013), Written & Interpersonal Communication Methods for Law Enforcement Fifth Edition, Oral Versus Written Communication. New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc.

c. To the

Who should be responsible for correcting mistakes in a police report?

a. The officer who makes the mistake

b. The officer’s supervisor

c. The prosecutor who tries the case

The author of the police report is the primary responsible of making sure the report is filed in a timely manner, well written, and contains the elements of the alleged crime. The police officer who files the report is the primary responsible to ensure the report is factual, written in chronological order and is free of grammatical errors.

Although the patrol officer writing the report is the primary responsible to ensure a crime report is filed without mistakes, the patrol officer’s supervisor also has a responsibility to double check the report filed is free of errors. Many times, supervisors notice grammatical mistakes, missing facts, statements or crime elements regarding the alleged crime.

1. One thing that you now know about your skills after completing "How Good Are Your Communication Skills?

After completing the 15 question “How Good Are Your Communication Skills” test and receiving a score of 48 points, I learned the