Crisis Response on accusations of using excessive force when dealing with alleged offenders
Introduction
This is a crisis response plan for a law enforcement organization that has faced accusations of using excessive force when dealing with alleged offenders. The main message that the department wants to send out to the public and the officers is that it intends to uphold its duty of protecting the lives and property of the residents (Claeys & Cauberghe, 2014). Further, it is committed to performing its function following all the stipulated guidelines in law. To make this possible, there is a need to concentrate on the areas where the department has been doing well, which will raise the morale of the officers and put it in good graces with the public.
Stakeholders
The major stakeholders are the residents of the area under the jurisdiction of the law enforcement department. These residents are at the receiving end of the services and possible maltreatment from the department. They are, therefore, the ones that are most likely to raise concerns over how alleged criminals are treated by the staff of the organization. The other stakeholders include the law enforcement organization, the department of justice and the media.
Key message
The key message to be given to the stakeholders is the fact that the police department intends to continue protecting the well-being and property of the residents under its jurisdiction. To divert the public attention away from the misdeeds of a few of its officers, the department will remind the residents of how security in that neighborhood has improved in the recent years, this being a result of the hard work of the police officers. The residents have to be placated by having the involved offers publicly apologize for their actions and the necessary punishment meted, which will be verifiable. This will have the effect of making the public have no further reasons to complain about the services provided by the police department.
The home base in the message is the statement of the fact that the police department is dedicated to protection of the well-being and property of the residents. Several positive points will be stated to support the home base (Claeys & Cauberghe, 2014). The positive points and the positive proof points accompanying them are in the table below.
| Positive Points | Positive Proof Points |
| Well trained officers | The efforts of the officers have contributed to a significant drop in the crime rates of the area under the jurisdiction of the department. |
| This department is among the best performers in the state | This is proven by stating the awards that the law enforcement department has received in the recent past. |
| Rogue officers have been warned and punished | Pointing out the various disciplinary actions that have been taken on the officers that were involved in the incident that caused the public uproar and the subsequent crisis. |
| The officers and the department are on the side of the residents, are there to served the residents. | The proof of this is found in reminding the public of the various instances where the police department and the residents have collaborated to tackle insecurity and other threats in the neighborhood. |
Contingency in Case Message Fails
In the event of this message getting misunderstood or not achieving the intended objectives, the department should invite the residents to come forward and give their opinions regarding how law enforcement can be improved in the community (Frohlichstein, 2003). This should be done in the presence of the media to communicate to the residents the sincerity of the law enforcement department.
Conclusion
A crisis response in a law enforcement organization has been described. The crisis response is due to the public uproar after law enforcement officers used excessive force in apprehending alleged criminals. A message map has been used in designing the key message, and the components of the message map include the home base, positive points and positive proof points.
References
Claeys, A., & Cauberghe, V. (2014). What makes crisis response strategies work? The impact of crisis involvement and message framing. Journal Of Business Research, 67(2), 182-189. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2012.10.005
Frohlichstein, T. (2003). Follow Me: Message Maps Lead The Way To Better Media Interviews. Public Relations Tactics, 10(5), 20-21.