| LAW AND ORDER: THE MAGAZINE FOR POLICE MANAGEMENT February 1992 Vol. 40, No. 2 Focus: Communications: The Police and The Media by Richard B. Weinblatt (pp. 32, 36) |
To Lt. Sadie Darnell, it was just another hot Sunday in August. The 12-year veteran of
Gainesville, FL, Police Department was heading to her sister’s house for dinner when her
on-call beeper signaled an abrupt end to the slow pace.
Darnell’s ever-present beeper could hardly have typed out a headline indicative of what
was to come. Three years experience as the public information officer was little comfort as
she became the center of a media feeding frenzy most police chiefs dread their whole
careers.
When five University of Florida students were found brutally murdered, Darnell became the
focal point for the media. “It was incredible the amount of attention that was paid to this
story,” she said. She was forced to serve many different constituencies as task force
spokesperson.
Many police officials find the prospect of facing such a situation to be anxiety provoking.
The title of one police press relations book, “’Chief, the Reporters Are Here,’” infers the
inordinate level of fear and distrust law enforcement feels towards the media. The mistrust,
often mutual in nature, has done much damage over the years, and has created an
unfortunate adversarial relationship.
But what is it that is so dreaded? Why would modern day police officers rather meet a
hulking bad guy in a back alley than face a white-collar professional person armed with only
a pen and notepad?
Lakewood, CO, Police Lt. Gerald W. Garner, the author of the media relations book
mentioned, said the trepidation and distrust comes from a lack of communication and a
failure to understand just what each party’s responsibilities are. Garner, a 21-year law
enforcement veteran who has an undergraduate degree in journalism and a master’s in
administration of justice, found that many of the police executives attending his media
relations class at the FBI National Academy in Quantico, VA, were truly apprehensive of the
press.
“By acquainting the police with the press, the ‘enemy’ has a face,” the former Texas cop
and five time book author said.
Interviews with Darnell, Garner and a host of police media experts underscored one clear
principle- a working, proactive relationship with the press is an essential component in the
success or failure of an agency in its service to the community. Communication is of
paramount importance.
A police investigator has to operate in an arena which may range from a lone reporter filling
his police blotter column in the local weekly newspaper to a high profile, impromptu news
satellite dish city such as the one which sprang up outside of Darnell’s office in Gainesville.
While the cast of characters may change from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, the concepts
remain the similar.
The Internal Conflict
Police officials with an active investigation in progress are very conscious of the dichotomy,
which exists in their mandate. On the one hand, cases are solved with information from the
public. The police need the press to get to the masses. On the other, police concerns
regarding next of kin notification, family suffering and investigation impairment are also
bona fide issues and need to be addressed.
“We are only as good as the information we receive,” Sheriff Armando B. Fontoura, head of
New Jersey’s largest sheriff’s department based in the city of Newark, said.
“Without public assistance, nothing happens. There has never been a case solved by the
FBI without public assistance,” Scott A. Nelson, section chief, office of public affairs for the
Federal Bureau of Investigation, said. Nelson encouraged law enforcement to be open with
the press and recognize the enormous value inherent in the establishment of a two-way
dialogue.
San Jose, CA’s former police chief, Joseph D. McNamara said, “We need goodwill to be
efficient. Without the press, we won’t get witnesses. We won’t get people dialing 911.”
“We view the media as the messenger,” Charles Johnston, police chief commanding the
202 officers and agents in Lakewood, CO (a suburb of Denver), said. “We can’t reach our
residents without them.”
McNamara, a frequent guest of high profile journalists such as Ted Koppel and Mike
Wallace, said the police need public cooperation in order to do the job. However, he said
sometimes the media’s requests for information may exceed the department’s legal
parameters.
Release of Information
The FBI’s Nelson said that they have strict disclosure policies, which the 25,000 employees
(10,000 special agents) must adhere to. Substantial logistical hurdles must be overcome
when you have an investigative organization with that many employees spread out over 56
offices and 17 internationally based legal attaches. However, the U.S. Department of
Justice expects all employees to follow the press relations rules set forth in Title 28, Section
50.2 of the Code of Federal Regulations and the Attorney General’s Guidelines.
The implication is clear. If it is possible for an organization as far flung as the Federal
Bureau of Investigation to successfully formulate clear press policies, there should be no
reason for a local criminal justice organization not to be able to do the likewise.
“Clearly, we cannot discuss cases in progress,” Nelson said. However, many agencies take
this concept too far- thereby involving a total cessation of press communications.
Nelson said that the FBI is sensitive to privacy issues and will not discuss political corruption
cases because of the potential damage to reputations. Regarding arrests and indictments
in general, Nelson said his employees will release the name, charge and nature of the
arrest (whether the individual was armed, etc.). No public identification or discussion of
undercover agents, witnesses or law enforcement techniques is allowed.
According to police media expert Dr. Richard R.E. Kania, of the justice and policy studies
department at Guilford College in Greensboro, NC, privacy issues must be a major factor in
the release decision process. The former Charlottesville, VA, police officer, who has taught
media courses at the Southern Police Institute and the University of Louisville, said police
administrators should be aware of the immediacy rendered by today’s news technology.
“We’re in the age of the minicams,” Kania said. “The demand for news and the ability to
physically deliver it often exceeds the propriety of the information being conveyed.”
For example, Kania said some next of kin have been informed by radio news reports that a
relative has been killed. He said that the notification process in these instances was clearly
impaired, as the police were unable to properly apprise them and provide whatever support
services might be needed.
Most current police executives recognize the need for confidentiality. The key is for the
police executive to develop an adequate level of media sophistication to be able to best
determine where the line should be drawn.
“Exceptions come in where the public interest or safety are involved,” Nelson said, citing the
Sudafed tampering case as a prime example of the public’s need to know. Other situations
mentioned included civil rights cases and fugitive investigations.
“Once the case is closed and the appeals are done, we will cooperate 100% with all facets
of the media,” Nelson said.
Det. Lt. Ronald Schmalz, head of the investigation division for the South Brunswick
Township, NJ, Police Department agreed and brought up an incentive for the police to
interact fully at the appropriate juncture. “After completion of the investigation, I become
very open with the press. I use the opportunity to give credit to the detectives and officers
involved,” Schmalz said.
“I definitely view the media as an avenue to show the professional work our people do,”
Sheriff Fontoura, who once served as a Newark police captain in charge of media relations,
said.
Policies Cooperation
Gainesville’s Darnell said the crime scene was discovered at 3:30 p.m. and that she was
notified at 4:00 p.m. “It would have been a disaster if we had not had policies already in
place,” she said.
The guidelines should address the aforementioned disclosure issue and more. The policy
should be consistent and hold throughout the department, not just the investigative function.
Dr. Ray Surette, professor of criminal justice at Florida International University, said that it is
important to develop policies in conjunction with the press. “The media will say ‘why should
we care about standards if we didn’t have anything to do with them.’ Do not wait until a
critical incident develops to build a relationship,” he said.
Responding to the need to educate the media, Lakewood’s Chief Johnston asked local print
and broadcast reporters to enroll in a citizens police academy. “They found out what it was
like to take a life,” Johnston said. “We gave them laser guns and put them through ‘shoot,
don’t shoot’ scenarios.”
Local police beat reporters delved into a variety of justice issues, which helped, contribute
to an understanding of the police service’s mission.
Dr. Surette commended Lakewood for implementing the citizens’ police academy. He
added that he would like to see “the opposite happen- with the police learning more of the
media’s role, history and function.”
“The news media is a business as well as a public information outlet. Law enforcement has
to remember the competitive nature of the news business. A chief is asking a lot of a
reporter to hold a story,” Surette said.
“If you can’t talk because of a confidential informant or because of a concern of
compromising the investigation, then say so. Don’t speak in jargon and don’t say ‘no
comment.’” San Jose’s Chief McNamara said.
“Withholding information often results in a worse situation,” Dr. Kania agreed. “The
reporter will probably move on to a second, third, or worse source. Explain honestly why a
question can not be fully answered.” He suggests offering other facts that may be useful
for the reporter.
Dealing with the press often requires abilities not normally developed within the police
structure. “Most chiefs come up through the ranks and are not used to someone
questioning their statements. But questioning statements is how reporters make their
living,” Surette said.
Lt. Darnell found the Gainesville situation attracted reporters with different styles and
varying levels of experience. “It was important for us to realize that and respond
accordingly,” she said.
The Patrol Officer
An important link in the press information process is the street patrol officer. Oftentimes,
agencies develop guidelines, which omit the role an officer plays.
Darnell cited the quick actions of Officer Ray Barber as crucial to the integrity of the
investigation and the emotional wellbeing of relatives. Barber had received the call to
check on the well being of a student and discovered the body- with the parents waiting
nearby. “He managed to maintain his composure and control the scene,” Darnell said.
“Patrol officers, the first responders, must be schooled on how to handle the situation until
the command structure is able to stabilize the area and set up a centralized release
process.” Det. Lt. Schmalz said.
Other Media Outlets
Beyond the crisis management atmosphere of a sensational crime, police should not lose
sight of the media as a vehicle for other messages appropriate for police generated
publicity. Of course, such a strategy implies the use of a proactive stance.
Part and parcel of the drive to establish good media relations is a lucid understanding of
the different factions of the media. Print, radio, and TV journalists have different needs and
obligations.
“TV is visual, newspapers contain data and radio wants quick sound bites. We should cater
to their different needs. How to deal with the media is as important as why we should deal
with them,” Chief Johnston said.
The FBI makes ample use of reality-based television programs such as Fox’s “America’s
Most Wanted.” Nelson said police chiefs should satisfy local requests now that there is an
interest. The interest may not be there in 10 years.
Nelson said some 3,000 citizen calls are generated from a typical piece on “America’s Most
Wanted.” That program has contributed to the capture of a couple hundred fugitives and
approximately 30 million people see the segments that Nelson manages to get on NBC’s
“Unsolved Mysteries.”
In addition to high profile network TV stations, Essex County’s Sheriff Fontoura routinely
appears with United States Marshal Arthur Borinsky on a local cable show to highlight
different fugitives. “We reach more people through TV than we ever could going door to
door,” he said.
“’Cops,’ ‘Rescue 911,’ and the like, show the great work police do. They show the danger
on the streets and get sympathy and funding for police functions,” Nelson said.
South Brunswick Police Captain Frederick A. Thompson said, “The police haven’t learned
to market themselves. We will be better cops if the public sees what we do and knows how
to assist us in our service to the community.”
No longer will a terse “no comment” or a string of police jargon suffice when dealing with the
media. On the contrary, appropriate information exchanges with the media, involving public
relations and marketing skills, can yield positive results- not all of which would fall under
traditional, quantifiable categories.
While the statistics might show a higher clearance rate, not so readily apparent will be the
improved morale of the department and heightened awareness on the part of the
community. These qualities are ephemeral in nature. It is such combined benefits that will
come full circle, impact the statistics, and start to erode the wave of events, which prompt
calls for police services.
Richard B. Weinblatt, former president of a public relations firm based in New York City
and New Jersey, is president of the Center for Reserve Law Enforcement and an auxiliary
sergeant with the South Brunswick, NJ, Police.
Gainesville, FL, Police Department was heading to her sister’s house for dinner when her
on-call beeper signaled an abrupt end to the slow pace.
Darnell’s ever-present beeper could hardly have typed out a headline indicative of what
was to come. Three years experience as the public information officer was little comfort as
she became the center of a media feeding frenzy most police chiefs dread their whole
careers.
When five University of Florida students were found brutally murdered, Darnell became the
focal point for the media. “It was incredible the amount of attention that was paid to this
story,” she said. She was forced to serve many different constituencies as task force
spokesperson.
Many police officials find the prospect of facing such a situation to be anxiety provoking.
The title of one police press relations book, “’Chief, the Reporters Are Here,’” infers the
inordinate level of fear and distrust law enforcement feels towards the media. The mistrust,
often mutual in nature, has done much damage over the years, and has created an
unfortunate adversarial relationship.
But what is it that is so dreaded? Why would modern day police officers rather meet a
hulking bad guy in a back alley than face a white-collar professional person armed with only
a pen and notepad?
Lakewood, CO, Police Lt. Gerald W. Garner, the author of the media relations book
mentioned, said the trepidation and distrust comes from a lack of communication and a
failure to understand just what each party’s responsibilities are. Garner, a 21-year law
enforcement veteran who has an undergraduate degree in journalism and a master’s in
administration of justice, found that many of the police executives attending his media
relations class at the FBI National Academy in Quantico, VA, were truly apprehensive of the
press.
“By acquainting the police with the press, the ‘enemy’ has a face,” the former Texas cop
and five time book author said.
Interviews with Darnell, Garner and a host of police media experts underscored one clear
principle- a working, proactive relationship with the press is an essential component in the
success or failure of an agency in its service to the community. Communication is of
paramount importance.
A police investigator has to operate in an arena which may range from a lone reporter filling
his police blotter column in the local weekly newspaper to a high profile, impromptu news
satellite dish city such as the one which sprang up outside of Darnell’s office in Gainesville.
While the cast of characters may change from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, the concepts
remain the similar.
The Internal Conflict
Police officials with an active investigation in progress are very conscious of the dichotomy,
which exists in their mandate. On the one hand, cases are solved with information from the
public. The police need the press to get to the masses. On the other, police concerns
regarding next of kin notification, family suffering and investigation impairment are also
bona fide issues and need to be addressed.
“We are only as good as the information we receive,” Sheriff Armando B. Fontoura, head of
New Jersey’s largest sheriff’s department based in the city of Newark, said.
“Without public assistance, nothing happens. There has never been a case solved by the
FBI without public assistance,” Scott A. Nelson, section chief, office of public affairs for the
Federal Bureau of Investigation, said. Nelson encouraged law enforcement to be open with
the press and recognize the enormous value inherent in the establishment of a two-way
dialogue.
San Jose, CA’s former police chief, Joseph D. McNamara said, “We need goodwill to be
efficient. Without the press, we won’t get witnesses. We won’t get people dialing 911.”
“We view the media as the messenger,” Charles Johnston, police chief commanding the
202 officers and agents in Lakewood, CO (a suburb of Denver), said. “We can’t reach our
residents without them.”
McNamara, a frequent guest of high profile journalists such as Ted Koppel and Mike
Wallace, said the police need public cooperation in order to do the job. However, he said
sometimes the media’s requests for information may exceed the department’s legal
parameters.
Release of Information
The FBI’s Nelson said that they have strict disclosure policies, which the 25,000 employees
(10,000 special agents) must adhere to. Substantial logistical hurdles must be overcome
when you have an investigative organization with that many employees spread out over 56
offices and 17 internationally based legal attaches. However, the U.S. Department of
Justice expects all employees to follow the press relations rules set forth in Title 28, Section
50.2 of the Code of Federal Regulations and the Attorney General’s Guidelines.
The implication is clear. If it is possible for an organization as far flung as the Federal
Bureau of Investigation to successfully formulate clear press policies, there should be no
reason for a local criminal justice organization not to be able to do the likewise.
“Clearly, we cannot discuss cases in progress,” Nelson said. However, many agencies take
this concept too far- thereby involving a total cessation of press communications.
Nelson said that the FBI is sensitive to privacy issues and will not discuss political corruption
cases because of the potential damage to reputations. Regarding arrests and indictments
in general, Nelson said his employees will release the name, charge and nature of the
arrest (whether the individual was armed, etc.). No public identification or discussion of
undercover agents, witnesses or law enforcement techniques is allowed.
According to police media expert Dr. Richard R.E. Kania, of the justice and policy studies
department at Guilford College in Greensboro, NC, privacy issues must be a major factor in
the release decision process. The former Charlottesville, VA, police officer, who has taught
media courses at the Southern Police Institute and the University of Louisville, said police
administrators should be aware of the immediacy rendered by today’s news technology.
“We’re in the age of the minicams,” Kania said. “The demand for news and the ability to
physically deliver it often exceeds the propriety of the information being conveyed.”
For example, Kania said some next of kin have been informed by radio news reports that a
relative has been killed. He said that the notification process in these instances was clearly
impaired, as the police were unable to properly apprise them and provide whatever support
services might be needed.
Most current police executives recognize the need for confidentiality. The key is for the
police executive to develop an adequate level of media sophistication to be able to best
determine where the line should be drawn.
“Exceptions come in where the public interest or safety are involved,” Nelson said, citing the
Sudafed tampering case as a prime example of the public’s need to know. Other situations
mentioned included civil rights cases and fugitive investigations.
“Once the case is closed and the appeals are done, we will cooperate 100% with all facets
of the media,” Nelson said.
Det. Lt. Ronald Schmalz, head of the investigation division for the South Brunswick
Township, NJ, Police Department agreed and brought up an incentive for the police to
interact fully at the appropriate juncture. “After completion of the investigation, I become
very open with the press. I use the opportunity to give credit to the detectives and officers
involved,” Schmalz said.
“I definitely view the media as an avenue to show the professional work our people do,”
Sheriff Fontoura, who once served as a Newark police captain in charge of media relations,
said.
Policies Cooperation
Gainesville’s Darnell said the crime scene was discovered at 3:30 p.m. and that she was
notified at 4:00 p.m. “It would have been a disaster if we had not had policies already in
place,” she said.
The guidelines should address the aforementioned disclosure issue and more. The policy
should be consistent and hold throughout the department, not just the investigative function.
Dr. Ray Surette, professor of criminal justice at Florida International University, said that it is
important to develop policies in conjunction with the press. “The media will say ‘why should
we care about standards if we didn’t have anything to do with them.’ Do not wait until a
critical incident develops to build a relationship,” he said.
Responding to the need to educate the media, Lakewood’s Chief Johnston asked local print
and broadcast reporters to enroll in a citizens police academy. “They found out what it was
like to take a life,” Johnston said. “We gave them laser guns and put them through ‘shoot,
don’t shoot’ scenarios.”
Local police beat reporters delved into a variety of justice issues, which helped, contribute
to an understanding of the police service’s mission.
Dr. Surette commended Lakewood for implementing the citizens’ police academy. He
added that he would like to see “the opposite happen- with the police learning more of the
media’s role, history and function.”
“The news media is a business as well as a public information outlet. Law enforcement has
to remember the competitive nature of the news business. A chief is asking a lot of a
reporter to hold a story,” Surette said.
“If you can’t talk because of a confidential informant or because of a concern of
compromising the investigation, then say so. Don’t speak in jargon and don’t say ‘no
comment.’” San Jose’s Chief McNamara said.
“Withholding information often results in a worse situation,” Dr. Kania agreed. “The
reporter will probably move on to a second, third, or worse source. Explain honestly why a
question can not be fully answered.” He suggests offering other facts that may be useful
for the reporter.
Dealing with the press often requires abilities not normally developed within the police
structure. “Most chiefs come up through the ranks and are not used to someone
questioning their statements. But questioning statements is how reporters make their
living,” Surette said.
Lt. Darnell found the Gainesville situation attracted reporters with different styles and
varying levels of experience. “It was important for us to realize that and respond
accordingly,” she said.
The Patrol Officer
An important link in the press information process is the street patrol officer. Oftentimes,
agencies develop guidelines, which omit the role an officer plays.
Darnell cited the quick actions of Officer Ray Barber as crucial to the integrity of the
investigation and the emotional wellbeing of relatives. Barber had received the call to
check on the well being of a student and discovered the body- with the parents waiting
nearby. “He managed to maintain his composure and control the scene,” Darnell said.
“Patrol officers, the first responders, must be schooled on how to handle the situation until
the command structure is able to stabilize the area and set up a centralized release
process.” Det. Lt. Schmalz said.
Other Media Outlets
Beyond the crisis management atmosphere of a sensational crime, police should not lose
sight of the media as a vehicle for other messages appropriate for police generated
publicity. Of course, such a strategy implies the use of a proactive stance.
Part and parcel of the drive to establish good media relations is a lucid understanding of
the different factions of the media. Print, radio, and TV journalists have different needs and
obligations.
“TV is visual, newspapers contain data and radio wants quick sound bites. We should cater
to their different needs. How to deal with the media is as important as why we should deal
with them,” Chief Johnston said.
The FBI makes ample use of reality-based television programs such as Fox’s “America’s
Most Wanted.” Nelson said police chiefs should satisfy local requests now that there is an
interest. The interest may not be there in 10 years.
Nelson said some 3,000 citizen calls are generated from a typical piece on “America’s Most
Wanted.” That program has contributed to the capture of a couple hundred fugitives and
approximately 30 million people see the segments that Nelson manages to get on NBC’s
“Unsolved Mysteries.”
In addition to high profile network TV stations, Essex County’s Sheriff Fontoura routinely
appears with United States Marshal Arthur Borinsky on a local cable show to highlight
different fugitives. “We reach more people through TV than we ever could going door to
door,” he said.
“’Cops,’ ‘Rescue 911,’ and the like, show the great work police do. They show the danger
on the streets and get sympathy and funding for police functions,” Nelson said.
South Brunswick Police Captain Frederick A. Thompson said, “The police haven’t learned
to market themselves. We will be better cops if the public sees what we do and knows how
to assist us in our service to the community.”
No longer will a terse “no comment” or a string of police jargon suffice when dealing with the
media. On the contrary, appropriate information exchanges with the media, involving public
relations and marketing skills, can yield positive results- not all of which would fall under
traditional, quantifiable categories.
While the statistics might show a higher clearance rate, not so readily apparent will be the
improved morale of the department and heightened awareness on the part of the
community. These qualities are ephemeral in nature. It is such combined benefits that will
come full circle, impact the statistics, and start to erode the wave of events, which prompt
calls for police services.
Richard B. Weinblatt, former president of a public relations firm based in New York City
and New Jersey, is president of the Center for Reserve Law Enforcement and an auxiliary
sergeant with the South Brunswick, NJ, Police.
| For contracting of articles, media commentary, or other matters, contact: richard@policearticles.com |
| policearticles.com home of published articles written by Richard B. Weinblatt |
Located just North of Orlando,
Florida, Richard B. Weinblatt
provides professional article
writing services and expert
commentary for the media on a
variety of criminal justice topics
Florida, Richard B. Weinblatt
provides professional article
writing services and expert
commentary for the media on a
variety of criminal justice topics
| FAST FACT "Reserve Reports" by Richard B. Weinblatt, a regular column in LAW AND ORDER: THE MAGAZINE FOR POLICE MANAGEMENT, ran for a decade (1991-2001). |
| FAST FACT Richard Weinblatt's March-April 1997 SHERIFF MAGAZINE article "Sheriffs Take on Rural Patrol Challenge" featured him on the cover. |
| FAST FACT The 250+ page book "Reserve Law Enforcement in the United States" by Richard B. Weinblatt, was published in 1993 |
This website contains criminal justice articles written by former Police Chief and Criminal Justice Professor/Police Academy Manager Richard B. Weinblatt |