One of the many skills required by law enforcement leaders today is the ability to communicate well—especially during A crisis. Departments must be able to inform and engage myriad audiences and stakeholders who may be overwhelmed by what social media, traditional media, vocal advocate groups, so-called subject matter experts, and sometimes ill-informed elected officials are saying about law enforcement agencies or the crises they are managing. Add that to the rumor, misinformation, and potential disinformation campaigns launched by malicious actors, and an agency’s messaging becomes even more critical.

Most crises today result in debating issues, which can become highly charged and politicized. Thanks to social media, every critic has a voice. Therefore, foundational to strong messaging is the work an agency does beforehand in developing trusted relationships with the “four-legged stool”: employees, the community, elected officials, and the media. Any one of those stakeholders can amplify, diminish, or outright destroy an agency’s messaging. Miss one leg of that stool, and the agency could be facing a crisis within a crisis.

To communicate effectively during a critical incident, an organization must provide proactive, truthful, easily understandable, and timely messaging; admit error if it exists; and be open to public or organizational scrutiny afterward. The adage “we have nothing to hide” is the best course of action.

In every instance of crisis, there are numerous stakeholders who require distinct communication. Local media often requires different messaging than their national or international counterparts. Each group has a different audience they must cater to. For instance, if the police are dealing with a significant public disturbance, local media will want to inform their audiences how it will affect their local commute and what people should be doing. National or international media, on the other hand, will likely focus on the cause of the disturbance and its broader implications.