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Interpersonal Communication for Police Officers: Using Needs Assessment to Prepare for Skeptical Trainees

The University of Texas at Arlington, Department of Communication, Box 19107, Arlington TX 76019

The philosophy of community policing emphasizes interpersonal communication skills for police officers. However, trainee police officers may be wary of training conducted by someone outside of law enforcement. This article lends support for using a needs assessment that helps trainers overcome organizational and personal boundaries in such a training class. In teaching interpersonal communication for groups of 8 to 12 police officers in two-hour training sessions, I learned that strate gically using the results of a needs assessment could encourage trainees to have a vested interest in the class and help the trainer feel competent and comfortable.

Key Words: Communication training • law enforcement • interpersonal com munication

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