Cultural Communications Challenges for Responding Police Officers - Essay Example

Running Header: Cultural Communications Challenges for Responding Police Officers ID Lecturer Cultural Communications Challenges for Responding Police Officers Police officers need to deal with a number of issues because their job demands as such. This is one of the reasons why getting employed within police is deemed as a Herculean task in entirety. There have been a number of examples where police officers have had to face significant issues due to the fact that they were unable to communicate and converse properly with the people who were present on a crime scene or a location which was remarked as an investigation zone. Much research has come through that has suggested the same in the true sense of the word. However, what remains to be seen is the fact that these police officers will be able to give in their best in times of trouble, trying circumstances, litigations, cultural manifestations, and so on and so forth. The role of these police officers within the areas where cultural communications tangents are drawn upon remain an important one. Often times it has been seen that these police officers have not been able to get their point across to the relevant audiences merely due to the fact that the latter have not been able to understand what they are saying. This is a problem, and one that receives quite a lot of flak due to the communication breakdown which takes place within the related scenarios (Decker, 1996). What could be done to do away with such communication breakdowns is something that remains to be seen within the midst of things. However, evidence is available that the police officers have learned new traits, acquired skills and the like to make sure that the crime scene does not get disrupted by communication issues every now and then. What is important here is an understanding on the part of both these police officers and the people at large so that sanity could prevail within the related ranks and that success for the sake of finding out the inner depths of the crimes would see the light of the day. The main aim of these police officers should be as such to make sure that they secure the crime scene as soon as they reach the spot, and then collect hate literature, spray paint cans, do away with threatening letters, identify criminal evidence and move ahead with the investigation phases in particular. During this process, the manner in which they communicate with the people from different walks of life is a very significant notion, and one that needs to be given emphasis by these police officers as well. They also have to interview people to find out about the suspects and the actual crime that has been committed, creating awareness for not only their own selves but also the publics that are present near the crime scene. The support services for the community members are also deemed as significant because this emphasizes the due role of the police officers and their work manifestations within the minds of the community at large (Scerra, 2011). The police officers therefore have to deal with a host of issues on a consistent basis, as well as ensure that no one takes the crime scene or even the police authorities for granted, and goes about ransacking the entire area or region that one is talking about here. The police officers find it very difficult to cope up with the challenges when there are hate crimes on the rise. These hate crimes include the victims who would not bother listening to these police officers, no matter how much respect they give to the police and the related authorities. This is something that poses as a huge challenge on the part of the police officers who would want to get their point heard within the thick of things. The hate crimes include a great amount of biasness that has crept into the people with regards to their opponents and the law in essence, as the latter goes against their wishes, which is something that is tantamount to being a disruptive force within their demeanor (Salo and Allwood, 2011). The crimes that are motivated by hate and bias tend to be very serious in nature and the cultural challenges that come about with the same make the lives of these police officers even more difficult. They have to find out ways through which their message could be heard in a clean and clear way, and hence determining the most apt way is something which will reign supreme at the end of the day, as far as the working dynamics of these police officers are concerned. Communication is not just about words alone. It involves a host of other facets as well. These comprise of the symbols, the gestures, the nonverbal factors and so on and so forth. The police officers have to make sure that all their communication-related aspects are being deciphered in the exact same manner as they would like them to deliver. This will solve quite a few issues that engulf their working domains and the manner under which they have to communicate with the people from varied cultural settings. These discussions center on the premise of the communication skills which would do the trick as far as achieving success within such settings are concerned. If the police officers could comprehend the true essence of communication, they can literally diffuse explosive situations and circumstances, and thus ensure that the people and communities around them are saved from the wrath that hate crimes and related racial settings can embody in essence. Communication can nosedive also when racial profiling and targeting through the race manifestations is raised more than ever (Lord, 1994). It can mean a great deal of stringent actions on the part of these police officers which would mean eventually mean that they have to communicate with them. When it comes to the cultural issues, communicating for these police officers with Asians, African Americans, Hispanics, Latinos, Arab Americans and lastly the Native Americans is very distinctive and different. Each one of these communities would comprehend and analyze the messages of the police officers in their own particular ways. Now it is up to these police officers to make sure that communication does not come in as a serious problem when there is the significant discussion of dispelling rage and anarchy within the relevant public domains. If these communication challenges are done away with, success can easily be attained. However, if these communication problems exponentially grow up and start becoming a serious nuisance, then it would be adequately sound to state here that the role of the police authorities at educating their own domains and indeed the police officers is a quintessential one. Police communication does matter in the long run. It is because the community regimes understand the true meaning of communicating with them and thus the harmony is created by all means. Elders of a community start giving respect to the police officers which essentially means that the young adults also adhere with the rules and policies of the area or region. Since these police officers have to communicate with people from diverse backgrounds and settings, it is only natural to think of such regimes within the same light (Fast, 1991). Perceptions start getting developed which is something that could be used to good effect for the sake of these police officers themselves. However, if these perceptions and attitudes are shaped up in such a way that there is absolute anarchy within the related settings, then only problems and more issues would arise from the related equations of cultural communication breakdowns. References Decker, B. J., 1996. Managing Diversity: An Introduction to Cross-Cultural Communication. Charlotte, NC: Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department Fast, J., 1991. Body Language in the Workplace. New York: Penguin Books Lord, V., 1994. Dealing Effectively with Different People: Instructor’s Manual. Salemburg, NC: North Carolina Justice Academy Salo, I. and Allwood, C. M., 2011. Decision-making styles, stress and gender among investigators. Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management, 34(1) Scerra, N., 2011. Impact of police cultural knowledge on violent serial crime investigation. Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management, 34(1) Read More