Recently, I participated in a conference call with several police and business leaders on the issue of law enforcement response to Covid 19. There is no doubt this is a public health crisis. I raised the issue that early on, Police should be part of an integrated response because their very presence brings a sense of assurance to the community.
More importantly, police may be required to take an active role at some point. It is important to use Proactive Communications to educate and inform the public and build a healthy rapport. I watched with concern over the course of the ensuing weeks as government officials began to slowly tout the potential of penalizing citizens who were not engaging in social distancing. From a community perspective, police intervention was clearly implied but not stated.
It wasn’t long before we saw images of police officers intervening. Although many citizens understand the role of the police in undertaking these actions, we missed the opportunity to build community cohesion by helping everyone understand and appreciate these actions as part of an integrated response to this public health crisis.
Police leaders have an opportunity to engage in Proactive Communication on an ongoing basis. They can share information on measures they are taking to ensure their members remain safe, so that they can be there when needed by the public. In these challenging times, when their health is under threat from an invisible assailant, the public needs regular reminders that police are working to keep them safe from the threat of criminality, and that if police must take action relative to Covid 19, it will be done in the interest of their health and wellbeing. This message is best delivered by Police Leaders.