80 3 Police and Law Enforcement—Civil ForemicsForensic Psychology and Policy ImplicationsGiven the extent and nature of conflict between police and citizens, as well as
the large majority of time officers spend in communicative encounters, the need
for training is undeniable. It is apparent that existing policy for training officers
in communication skills, as well as extended training throughout their careers, is
currently inadequate in many departments. In the case of Henry, the first officer
to arrive on the scene was clearly not effective in communicative abilities. His
communication, in fact, escalated the conflict rather than brought it to a peaceful
resolution. Based on the story, we can assume that the first officer's attempt to
initially communicate with Henry was ineffective for a number of reasons. Namely,
his "intense lecture" immediately left Henry feeling like the officer was against
him, not with him or for him. Naturally, Henry's perception was that the officer
was there to lecture him and punish him rather than peacefully resolve a conflict
between Henry and the staff. Later, when Henry felt "chastised" and walked away,
the officer responded with an even more authoritarian attitude, bringing threats and
physical force into the interaction. At this point, the encounter could have easily
become unnecessarily inflated to the point of violence and the arrest of Henry.
Luckily, the second officer arrived on the scene in time to calm the situation. The
communication and conflict-resolution skills of the second officer became vitally
important, and a potentially explosive conflict was controlled.
Approaching a situation as did the first officer in Henry's case will regret-
tably create unnecessary consequences for citizens and police. The more aware the
public becomes of such behavior and the more communicative conflicts that citi-
zens themselves have with officers, the more likely society is to doubt and
disrespect the police. For police to enjoy the kind of relationship it aspires to
maintain with citizens, communicating effectively becomes as important as other
duties. Whenever possible, resolving volatile or conflict situations without the use
of unnecessary force, threat, or arrest should be the goal of every police offi-
cer. Consequently, natural communicative ability and effective training become a
necessity.
More recently, psychology has made important contributions to police—citizen
conflict situations. Generally, psychologists are called upon to educate the police
about matters such as dealing with the mentally ill, hostage situations, domestic
violence situations, and other crises (L. Wrightsman et al., 1994). Psychology has
proven an effective tool for developing approaches to such situations but has more
to offer than just training. The knowledge of human relations and general com-
munication skills establishes a place for psychology in the education and training
of police officers. Further, psychology avails itself well to the establishment and
ongoing evaluation of training programs. Forensic psychology, in its mutual regard
for psychological and criminal justice matters, has established a place for itself in
police administration and consultation. Recently, more departments are realizing
the value that psychology can bring and are beginning to employ psychologists in