NCJ Number
191875
Journal
Police Chief Volume: 68 Issue: 10 Dated: October 2001 Pages: 124-131
Date Published
October 2001
Length
8 pages
Annotation
This article discusses police dealing with the media after a school crisis.
Abstract
On December 6, 1999, in Fort Gibson, OK, a 13-year-old middle school student randomly sprayed 15 bullets into a crowd of 75 students, wounding 5. This article addresses the media attention generated by the incident and provides some insight that might be beneficial to law enforcement personnel should they face an event of national scope in their jurisdictions. Police executives should consider the following guidelines for establishing good media relations: (1) establish proactive, not reactive, policies--if possible, establish the position of media liaison; (2) dress appropriately for a press conference; (3) repeat media questions before responding; (4) avoid using the phrase "No comment;" (5) be aware of body language; (6) never lie to the media; (7) use the media to obtain information; (8) use the media to initiate a community response team; (9) cater to the local news media; and (10) remember that this, too, shall pass. References