You have been assigned by the chief of police to create and implement a strategic communication plan to respond to the community following a high-profile use of force event by an officer with your department. While the use of force appears to have been legally justified and within department policy, there is still a great deal of negative reaction from the public.
Preparation
Review the steps for developing a strategic communication plan from Strategic Communication Practices: A Toolkit for Police Executives.
Instructions
Using the specific steps outlined, write a 2–3 page communication plan in which you:
Outline the approach that you would use to research and interpret the situational analysis for your hometown.
Determine the main goals and objectives of your proposed communication plan.
Predict the target group of your communication plan.
Propose the general communication strategies of your proposed plan.
Provide a rationale for your response.
Develop the first four main steps of your local police department’s strategic communication plan.
Provide a rationale for your response.
Sample solution
Dante Alighieri played a critical role in the literature world through his poem Divine Comedy that was written in the 14th century. The poem contains Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. The Inferno is a description of the nine circles of torment that are found on the earth. It depicts the realms of the people that have gone against the spiritual values and who, instead, have chosen bestial appetite, violence, or fraud and malice. The nine circles of hell are limbo, lust, gluttony, greed and wrath. Others are heresy, violence, fraud, and treachery. The purpose of this paper is to examine the Dante’s Inferno in the perspective of its portrayal of God’s image and the justification of hell.
In this epic poem, God is portrayed as a super being guilty of multiple weaknesses including being egotistic, unjust, and hypocritical. Dante, in this poem, depicts God as being more human than divine by challenging God’s omnipotence. Additionally, the manner in which Dante describes Hell is in full contradiction to the morals of God as written in the Bible. When god arranges Hell to flatter Himself, He commits egotism, a sin that is common among human beings (Cheney, 2016). The weakness is depicted in Limbo and on the Gate of Hell where, for instance, God sends those who do not worship Him to Hell. This implies that failure to worship Him is a sin.
God is also depicted as lacking justice in His actions thus removing the godly image. The injustice is portrayed by the manner in which the sodomites and opportunists are treated. The opportunists are subjected to banner chasing in their lives after death followed by being stung by insects and maggots. They are known to having done neither good nor bad during their lifetimes and, therefore, justice could have demanded that they be granted a neutral punishment having lived a neutral life. The sodomites are also punished unfairly by God when Brunetto Lattini is condemned to hell despite being a good leader (Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). While he commited sodomy, God chooses to ignore all the other good deeds that Brunetto did.
Finally, God is also portrayed as being hypocritical in His actions, a sin that further diminishes His godliness and makes Him more human. A case in point is when God condemns the sin of egotism and goes ahead to commit it repeatedly. Proverbs 29:23 states that “arrogance will bring your downfall, but if you are humble, you will be respected.” When Slattery condemns Dante’s human state as being weak, doubtful, and limited, he is proving God’s hypocrisy because He is also human (Verdicchio, 2015). The actions of God in Hell as portrayed by Dante are inconsistent with the Biblical literature. Both Dante and God are prone to making mistakes, something common among human beings thus making God more human.
To wrap it up, Dante portrays God is more human since He commits the same sins that humans commit: egotism, hypocrisy, and injustice. Hell is justified as being a destination for victims of the mistakes committed by God. The Hell is presented as being a totally different place as compared to what is written about it in the Bible. As a result, reading through the text gives an image of God who is prone to the very mistakes common to humans thus ripping Him off His lofty status of divine and, instead, making Him a mere human. Whether or not Dante did it intentionally is subject to debate but one thing is clear in the poem: the misconstrued notion of God is revealed to future generations.
References
Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). Dante’s inferno: Seven deadly sins in scientific publishing and how to avoid them. Addiction Science: A Guide for the Perplexed, 267.
Cheney, L. D. G. (2016). Illustrations for Dante’s Inferno: A Comparative Study of Sandro Botticelli, Giovanni Stradano, and Federico Zuccaro. Cultural and Religious Studies, 4(8), 487.
Verdicchio, M. (2015). Irony and Desire in Dante’s” Inferno” 27. Italica, 285-297.
Sample Solution
Sample Solution
Introduction
The use of force by police officers is a sensitive topic, and it is important for police departments to have a strategic communication plan in place to respond to public inquiries and concerns. This is especially true in the event of a high-profile use of force incident, where there is a great deal of negative reaction from the community.
In this case, the use of force appears to have been legally justified and within department policy. However, there is still a great deal of public anger and distrust. This is understandable, given the history of police brutality in the United States.
The goal of the strategic communication plan is to address the public’s concerns, rebuild trust, and restore public confidence in the police department.
Key Messages
The strategic communication plan should focus on the following key messages:
- The use of force was legally justified and within department policy.
- The police department is committed to transparency and accountability.
- The police department is taking steps to improve training and procedures to prevent future incidents.
- The police department is committed to serving the community and protecting the public.
Communication Channels
The strategic communication plan should use a variety of communication channels to reach the public, including:
- News releases. News releases should be issued to local media outlets, as well as national media outlets if the incident is getting national attention.
- Social media. The police department should use its social media platforms to communicate with the public. This includes posting updates on the incident, as well as responding to public comments and questions.
- Public meetings. The police department should hold public meetings to discuss the incident and answer questions from the public.
- Community outreach. The police department should engage in community outreach activities to build relationships with the community and address concerns about the use of force.
Timeline
The strategic communication plan should be implemented as soon as possible after the use of force incident. The plan should be flexible enough to adjust as new information becomes available.
Evaluation
The strategic communication plan should be evaluated to determine its effectiveness. This includes assessing the public’s reaction to the plan, as well as the level of trust and confidence in the police department.
Conclusion
A strategic communication plan is essential for police departments to respond to high-profile use of force incidents. By effectively communicating with the public, police departments can address concerns, rebuild trust, and restore public confidence.
Additional Thoughts
The strategic communication plan should be developed in consultation with community leaders and other stakeholders. This will help to ensure that the plan is responsive to the needs of the community and that it is effective in rebuilding trust.
The plan should also be tailored to the specific circumstances of the incident. For example, if the incident involved a fatal shooting, the plan should address the public’s concerns about police accountability and transparency.
The strategic communication plan should be an ongoing process. Even after the incident has been resolved, the police department should continue to communicate with the community to address any lingering concerns.
