U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.

NCJRS Virtual Library

The Virtual Library houses over 235,000 criminal justice resources, including all known OJP works.
Click here to search the NCJRS Virtual Library

PRESS AND POLICE

NCJ Number
56461
Author(s)
ANON
Date Published
1978
Length
84 pages
Annotation
PROCEEDINGS ARE PRESENTED OF THE 1978 CONFERENCE OF THE WEST GERMAN POLICE UNION ON BORDERS AND CRIME PREVENTION, THE ROLE OF THE PUBLIC IN POLICE WORK, AND THE EFFECTS OF ARCHITECTURE ON THE CRIME RATE.
Abstract
IN TWO ASSESSMENTS OF THE DIFFICULTIES OF COMBATTING CRIME WHICH HAS SPREAD ACROSS THE BORDERS OF INDIVIDUAL COUNTRIES, THE NEED FOR INTERNATIONAL POLICE COOPERATION AT BOTH FORMAL AND INFORMAL LEVELS IS STRESSED. ONE VIEW OF THE POLICE-MEDIA-PUBLIC RELATIONSHIP ARGUES THAT THE ASSISTANCE OF THE PUBLIC IS REQUIRED FOR LARGE-SCALE DRAGNETS BUT THAT POLICE MUST SOMETIMES WITHHOLD INFORMATION WITH JOURNALISTS' COOPERATION. THE SECOND VIEW HOLDS THAT AS THE CONSTITUTIONAL OBLIGATION OF THE PRESS IS TO SUPPLY THE PUBLIC WITH INFORMATION FOR DEVELOPMENT OF INDIVIDUAL OPINIONS, REPORTERS MUST GUARD AGAINST BECOMING POLICE AUXILIARIES. TWO OTHER PRESENTATIONS DISCUSS THE RELATIONSHIP OF GROWING CRIME RATES TO RECENT CONSTRUCTION OF HIGH-RISE RESIDENTIAL AREAS NOT PROPERLY PLANNED TO MEET THE SOCIAL NEEDS OF THE INHABITANTS. GENERAL CONFERENCE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR IMPROVEMENT OF POLICE WORK INCLUDE INCREASES IN PERSONNEL, PRACTICAL TRAINING PROGRAMS, GREATER STATUS AND HIGHER SALARIES, MODERN EQUIPMENT, AND PUBLIC RELATIONS WORK. TEXTS OF PANEL DISCUSSIONS ON EACH OF THE TOPICS, NEWSPAPER COMMENTS ON THE CONFERENCE, AND A LIST OF PARTICIPANTS ARE SUPPLIED. --IN GERMAN. (KMD)