Verbal Communication.

In a single shift you will deal with people who range from compliant to dangerously hostile, and from cooperative to emotionally charged and reactive. Most arrests are still made without the officer using any physical force. The outline’s explanation is communication, and it names emotional intelligence as the foundation of effective communication for de-escalation.

Emotional intelligence is the capacity to identify and manage your own emotional state as well as that of others, and to be sensitive to emotional signals from within and from the social environment.

The outline is blunt about the stakes. However good your shooting, case law or defensive tactics, you will not succeed if you cannot communicate effectively. Officers are generally good at building rapport, establishing command presence and explaining alternatives and consequences. But poor communication contributes to the times an interaction turns ugly, and officers can unintentionally escalate hostility even in the most benign contact.

Officers who feel they are an integral part of their community are less likely to resort to physical force in a crisis that could be verbally defused. In return, citizens come to trust and respect officers they see consistently trying to keep order without excessive harshness. Effective officers use conflict-resolution skills to keep situations from escalating while maintaining objectivity, balance and the perception of fairness.

The outline also separates two words that are often used as if they meant the same thing. Information is giving out. Communication is getting through.

The two words sound alike and describe opposite officers. An authoritative officer can be trusted as accurate, true and reliable. That officer is commanding and self-confident, and is likely to be respected and obeyed.

An authoritarian enforces very strict obedience to authority, much like an autocrat, dictator or tyrant. The outline describes the attitude as a belief in absolute obedience or submission to one’s own authority. Such people seem rigid, strict or oppressive, and tend to favor a quick escalation of force in place of reasonable patience, empathy, communication or cooperation.

The outline says the simple basics of human interaction are the keys to success: active listening, asking questions, showing courtesy, engaging empathetically and observing nonverbal body language. Most arrests are made without the need for physical control beyond routine handcuffing.

Few people resist arrest, and effective communication is a key reason. Officers are good at building rapport, communicating alternatives and consequences, and dealing with people in crisis.

The other side is that an officer’s failure to communicate properly can contribute to a disagreeable interaction. Officers can escalate a conflict without knowing they are doing it.

The outline lists the usual causes of officer escalation. The message is good but the delivery failed. The officer has an authoritarian thought process. The officer lacks communication skills. The officer has challenges in emotional intelligence, shown by things like depression, anger, fatigue and worry. Or the officer is reacting to “contempt of cop.”

It is generally not the major crimes or critical scenes that get officers into communication trouble. It is the minor calls for service, such as children playing basketball in the street.