Six Major Obstacles to Law Enforcement Communications

The physical barrier of intercultural exchanges and inability to hear and comprehend will test the patience and commitment of most officers. Just as difficult to overcome will be the “psychological barriers which are based on an individual’s beliefs, judgments, values, needs, life experiences, emotion, education, training and goals”(p. 68). It should be stressed to everyone that while each may hear the same statement in the same situation the differing traits among individuals will result in different interpretations based on perspectives or expectations.

Another example of a psychological barrier to communication is recognized when what is said can have a variety of different meanings. A common phrase, for instance, “I’m going to kill you for what you did” may have multiple meanings.  This might be a threat or a joke depending on the context. This is an example of semantics where one word or phrase can and does have multiple meanings. By realizing these barriers and remaining committed to the goal or task at hand, these barriers which hinder and block oral communication can be overcome. Any factor that slows the information exchange   can be overcome with a great deal of patience and determination. Without patience the barrier will become a stumbling block.  Impressing upon subordinates that many times what they take away from a situation is dependent on what they bring to it can further develop the human skills necessary in a police environment. It sometimes must be overstressed to an officer the need to acquire a working knowledge of common witness semantics and phrases in order to identify the key words or phrases necessary to the extraction of information. “Effective communication can only take place when the actual symbolic meaning of words is shared.”