Police Public Relations Programs vs. Community-Police Relations Programs
Differences Between Police Public Relations Programs and Police-Community Relations Programs
Police-Community Relations programs and Police Public Relations programs are similar in many ways, but not are not identical or interchangeable, according to Barker, and Hunter in 2011. Police-Community Relations is a philosophy of police administration, which seeks to involve community and police in ongoing decision making concerning policies which impact both. Police Public Relations programs involve broader and more complex goals than Police-Community relations programs. One purpose of public relations programs is to develop and maintain a productive working environment for police departments to operate within, through informing the public about why officers and departments do what they do, and by enhancing their own public image as primarily community helpers and first responders, worthy of the public respect and cooperation that is necessary for police operations (Barker & Hunter, 2011). Programs strive to influence the following factions: the pubic in order to gain support; politicians, in order to gain funding; and staff, in order to gain consistency in operations (Barker & Hunter, 2011). Police-Community Relations programs, however, are aimed towards integration of community groups and police organizations into partnerships focused on combating both criminal and social problems (Barker & Hunter, 2011). These programs determine types of services, implementation of programs, potential problem areas, and problem solving mechanisms (Barker & Hunter, 2011).
Activities and processes of Police-Community Relations programs and Police Public Relations programs contrast as well. Police Public Relations program activities are standardized, repetitive, predictable, controllable, routinized, specialized, and agency oriented (Barker & Hunter, 2011). Information flows toward public only. Police-Community Relations programs must be flexible, reflexive, adaptable, and
Police-Community Relations programs and Police Public Relations programs are similar in many ways, but not are not identical or interchangeable, according to Barker, and Hunter in 2011. Police-Community Relations is a philosophy of police administration, which seeks to involve community and police in ongoing decision making concerning policies which impact both. Police Public Relations programs involve broader and more complex goals than Police-Community relations programs. One purpose of public relations programs is to develop and maintain a productive working environment for police departments to operate within, through informing the public about why officers and departments do what they do, and by enhancing their own public image as primarily community helpers and first responders, worthy of the public respect and cooperation that is necessary for police operations (Barker & Hunter, 2011). Programs strive to influence the following factions: the pubic in order to gain support; politicians, in order to gain funding; and staff, in order to gain consistency in operations (Barker & Hunter, 2011). Police-Community Relations programs, however, are aimed towards integration of community groups and police organizations into partnerships focused on combating both criminal and social problems (Barker & Hunter, 2011). These programs determine types of services, implementation of programs, potential problem areas, and problem solving mechanisms (Barker & Hunter, 2011).
Activities and processes of Police-Community Relations programs and Police Public Relations programs contrast as well. Police Public Relations program activities are standardized, repetitive, predictable, controllable, routinized, specialized, and agency oriented (Barker & Hunter, 2011). Information flows toward public only. Police-Community Relations programs must be flexible, reflexive, adaptable, and