Interpersonal
Communications
Law Enforcement II
The student will be able to:
 Use communication skills to evaluate body
language, gestures, verbal tone, and
inflection.
 Use interpersonal communication skills.
 Use writing skills to facilitate effective
field note taking and report writing, such
as police incident reports.
Objectives
Increased officer safety
 Enhanced professionalism

◦ Fewer complaints
◦ Less vicarious liability
◦ Less personal stress
“Communication is the process of people sharing
thoughts, ideas, and feelings with each other in
commonly understandable ways.”
- Cheryl Hamilton
Goals of Communication
The following elements of a communicator
change the behavior of the listener:
 Message content 7-10%
 Voice 33-40%
 Body language 50-60%

Communication is both intentional and
unintentional.
 People believe the voice rather than the
role.

Harmonizing Role and Voice
93% of your success in communication
depends on the delivery system used.
 Tone is extremely important
 Tone = Attitude

Delivery System

Encoding – the process of putting a
message into the form in which it is to be
communicated.

Decoding – the process the receiver goes
through while trying to interpret the exact
meaning of a message.
Encoding and Decoding

Sender and receiver’s background and
experiences
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Education
Race
Sex
Personality
Culture
Frame of Reference
 Code
– a symbol that carries the
message
 Three
types of code:
◦ Language (verbal)
◦ Paralanguage (vocal)
◦ Nonverbal (visual)
Codes

Language

◦ Written or spoken
words
◦ Communicates
thoughts and feelings

Paralanguage
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Tone of voice
Pitch
Rate
Volume
Emphasis
Codes
(continued)
Nonverbal
◦
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Intentional
Unintentional
Facial expressions
Eye contact
Gestures
Appearance
Posture
Size
 65%
body language
 7% verbal content
 12% voice quality
 16% misc symptoms
 Verbal
kinetic signals are easier to
control than non-verbal
Kinetic Communication

Determining the most appropriate
channel:
◦ Importance of the message
◦ Needs and abilities of the receiver
◦ The amount and speed of feedback
◦ The necessity of a permanent record
◦ Cost of the channel
◦ The level of formality or informality
desired
Channel of Message

Feedback – verbal and visual responses to
a message
◦ Improves the accuracy and productivity of
individuals and groups
◦ Increases employee satisfaction with the job
 Less role conflict
 Lower stress
 Less absenteeism
 Lower turnover
Feedback
Noise – anything that interferes with
communication by distorting or blocking
out the message
 Environment – the time, place, and
physical and social surroundings
 Climate – organizations, and social and
work environment

Communication Barriers
Comprises most nonverbal communication
 Often difficult to interpret
 The eyes have the most expressive and
profound impact on communication.

◦ Shows interest and attentiveness
◦ Signals wish to participate or be left alone
◦ Controls the flow of communication
Facial Expressions
Emblems –carry an exact verbal meaning
 Illustrators –add to or clarify verbal
meaning
 Regulators – control the flow of a
conversation
 Adapters – habitual movements we use
in times of stress

Body Movements/Gestures
 Physical
Barriers
 Semantic Barriers (word
meaning)
 Personal Barriers
 Gender Barriers
Listening

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


Sense – hear what is important to the
speaker
Interpret – assign meaning to what is
seen, heard, and felt
Evaluate – determine the speaker’s
credibility and message’s importance
Respond – react to the speech, usually
through nonverbal cues
Remember – retain parts of the message
in memory
Five Stages of Listening


Brief notations concerning specific events
and circumstances that are recorded while
still fresh in the officer’s mind; they are
used to prepare a report.
Uses
◦ Report Writing
◦ Courtroom
Field Notes
 People’s
descriptions, from
head to toe
 Other Property
 Date and time
 Exact location
 Other important info
Information Noted

Vehicles:
◦ C– color (top-to-bottom)
◦ Y– year model
◦ M– make (manufacturer)
◦ B– body style (2dr, 4dr)
◦ A– and
◦ L– license plate
◦ S– state (license plate)
◦ Any other distinguishing marks,
damage, stickers, etc.
Information Noted
(continued)

Persons involved should be identified by
roles: suspect, victim, etc.
◦ Correct spellings
◦ Complete name, home address and phone
number, and work address and phone number
◦ Any aliases used
◦ Sex and race
◦ Occupation, if employed
◦ Student/school
Who?
The type of offense committed
 The type of property involved
 The means of transportation used, if any
 Statements made

◦ Speech impediments
◦ Unusual words or phrases
What?
Exact time and location the offense
occurred
 Reference points, maps used
 Type of victims, witnesses, and suspects
in relation to crime

Where and When?

Why
 How
◦ Motive or cause
◦ Event occurred
◦ Revenge
◦ Property obtained
◦ Monetary gain
◦ Suspect approached
◦ Drug addiction
◦ Suspect gained
access/entry
◦ Accidental
◦ Exited/left the scene
Why? and How?
 Permanent
– must contain all
pertinent information because it
is subject to review by court
 Temporary – should be
thorough and organized even
though they will be discarded
after the report is written
Two Systems of Note-Taking
 Provides
recall at a later time and
date
 Advantages of field note-taking
 Officer separates facts
 Not relying on memory
 Helps prepare for court
Advantages of Field Notes
 Record
only important information
 Alternate between listening and
writing
 Ask questions then review notes
Rules for Complete Note-Taking
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Accurate
Concise and explicit
Complete
Clear
Legible
Objective
Grammatically correct
Correct spelling
Characteristics of a Good Report
 Gather
information
 Analyze the facts
 Organize the information
◦ Chronologically
◦ Categorically
◦ Both
Organizing the Report

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
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Verify that the offense or incident
occurred
Identify leads and solvability factors
Communicate the circumstances of the
crime or incident
Identify the investigative tasks completed
and those to be completed
Don’t forget to ask if the victim wants to
prosecute!
Elements of a Report
 Incident
Report or Offense Report
 Miscellaneous Incident Report (noncriminal or minor offenses)
 Arrest Report
 Supplemental Report
 Field Interview Card (developing
intelligence)
Types of Reports

Arlington Police Academy
training/TCLEOSE standards

Hamilton, Cheryl. Communicating for
Results. Wadsworth, Thomson
Learning. U.S., 2001
Resources