Impaired Driving Subcommittee Impaired Driving Guidebook - NHTSA

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COMMUNICATIONaudience have a clear understanding of what youthink is important. Personal CredibilityRemember, you’re the expert, that’s why you’rebeing interviewed. Use your personal knowledgeand experience for emphasis and avoid speakingabout police services in the abstract.⎯For example, if you can say, “I’ve been apatrol officer” or “I’ve talked to the menand women using this community policingtechnique,” say it. Your critics aren’t shyabout their credentials; you shouldn’t beeither.Repeating MessagesAn interview has a purpose and so should you.Know what you want the headline or main messageto be. During an interview, repeat your messagefrequently. In an audio or video taped interview, yourarely know in advance which of your statements willbe used in the final edit of the broadcast story.Repetition helps to ensure the audience and themedia remember your messages.Rules of Engagement The Interviewer and the AudiencePrior to any interview, find out as much as youcan about your interviewer and your audience.Don’t confuse the two—the former is only a conduitto the latter. Tailor your messages accordingly. The RecordAlways consider yourself “on the record” andnever say anything you don’t want to see in print orbroadcast. However, should you decide to saysomething “on background” or even “off therecord,” clearly indicate the rules for that portion ofthe interview before you put on a microphone andbe sure the interviewer agrees you are “onbackground” or “off the record” first. Otherwise, youare still “on the record.” LanguageRemember to avoid police jargon, acronyms,and technical terms. If you need to use a lawenforcement term, be sure to define it. Everymember of your audience should understand yourmessage. ArgumentsThe old saying goes: “You won’t win anargument with someone who buys ink by the barrel,or videotape by the case,” so don’t argue. By thesame token, there may be times when an intervieweris confrontational, and you may need to “step up” tothe situation to maintain control of the interview.Never let yourself become a passive participant inthe interview process. Protect the RecordYour credibility as a law enforcement executivedepends on it, because “a lie unchallengedbecomes the truth.” Bad information has a way ofpropagating and taking on a life of its own, unlesschallenged. If an interviewer asks you a questionbased on false data, be sure to protect and correctthe record. Be careful not to repeat the false datayourself and to avoid any negative or emotionallycharged statements. Don’t let a damaging storygather credibility or extra weight by letting thefalsehood come from your own lips. HonestyAlways answer honestly, but never say, “Nocomment.” If you don’t know the answer to aquestion, if the answer is classified, invadessomeone’s privacy, or would compromise anongoing investigation, it’s ok to say so. Answerhonestly and, in doing so, bridge to one of yourprepared messages.Communication: A Vital MissionRemember, communication is a crucial part ofevery officer’s job and is even more critical for policeexecutives. It’s the only way law enforcement candevelop the public support needed to perform itspublic functions effectively. Every media encounteris a valuable opportunity to convey who we are,what we do, and what we need to do—the job ourcommunity expects of us. Formal training incommunications and working the media is availablefrom a variety of sources, including colleges anduniversities. The investment in formal training canpay substantial dividends in terms of effectiverepresentation of your agency, its officers, and itsprograms. In addition, a Public Information Officercourse directed specifically at traffic programs isavailable from the NHTSA. Interested parties shouldinquire with their regional NHTSA office.MAINTAINING ONGOING MEDIARELATIONSHIPSIt is essential that law enforcement organizationstake the time to develop long-term relationships withtheir media. As with any worthwhile relationship,building a long-term relationship with the mediatakes a great deal of time and effort to bothdevelop and sustain. Unless the relationship ismutually beneficial for all involved, it will fail. Onekey factor in ensuring that the relationship is mutuallybeneficial is to understand each other’s needs.Needs of the Media“Filling the Sausage Casing,” “Feeding theBeast,” or “Formatting the Rundown” are terms usedby news producers to describe the daily task of filling19
COMMUNICATIONpre-determined time slots with information for theirviewers, listeners, or readers. Although the news ofthe day continually changes, the time segmentsallotted to report the stories remain the same. Weneed to remind ourselves that we are just one of themany organizations that are competing for mediaattention on a daily basis. Therefore, it is essentialthat we cater to the needs of the media by ensuringthat our information is both timely and newsworthy.Understanding the Media’s Timelines –“Being Ready to Pounce”As everyone knows, drinking and drivingtragedies occur on our streets and highways everyday across North America. Unfortunately, these dailytragedies have become so commonplace that thepublic and the media routinely let the stories ofseriously or fatally injured victims of impaired drivingcrashes go by with little or no recognition.The vast majority of media outlets work on theirstories on a day-to-day basis. Therefore, it is essentialthat agencies not miss out on opportunities to speakout about these tragedies when they occur. When atragedy takes place, media outlets will need tospeak to a spokesperson immediately, not tomorrow.If the goal is to keep your message alive all yearround, then it is essential that we have a game planin place to deal with these potential “opportunities”when they become available. Potential spokespersonsmust be ready to go with preparedmessages. Although the time, location, and victimschange from crash to crash, the “Don’t Drink andDrive” message remains the same.Thinking Outside of the Podium –Customizing the News ConferenceMedia reporters require three main ingredients totell any story—images, sound, and people. Holdinga news conference in a sterile media gallery may beeasy to organize, but it may not get the mediacoverage desired. Our organizations must be willingto think creatively if we truly want to obtaincoverage. Visiting a crash scene on an anniversarydate, having a family member (if they are willing)and/or the investigating officer present to speak withthe media, or hosting a news conference at a localschool to launch a “Safe Grad” initiative are just afew examples of different ways to present a story.Call AheadThere are several ways to notify the media abouta news conference or other event, including aphone call, email, fax, and/or media advisory (aone-page document that includes the who, what,when, where, and why of the event). Consider usingseveral means of contact, since the media are sobusy and are tracking so many stories simultaneously.After sending out the media advisory, someone withmedia experience should contact each mediaoutlet to ensure they have received the invitationand to provide a ten-second pitch about why theyshould cover the story. This is also an excellentopportunity to advise them of the importance of theevent being covered and/or what extra steps havebeen taken to make their jobs easier (e.g.,spokespersons being made available, visuals,statistics being made available, etc.).Placing the StoryOn the day of an event or announcement, anews release may be needed to make the media’sjob easier. Part of good media relations isunderstanding how the media requires informationto be sent to them. The news release should betimed for distribution to all media and availableonline at the same time as the announcement. Forthose media that do not attend, you can send themthe news release and available press kit, with all thenecessary story elements, and follow up by phone tomake sure they understand the significance of thenews and how it fits in the big picture, aka, “whythey should care.”Impaired Driving Law EnforcementMessageThe following is a list of some of the traditionalevents that can be used to keep the impaireddriving law enforcement message alive all yearround: Super Bowl Sunday St. Valentine’s Day (What says “love” more thanbeing a Designated Driver?) St. Patrick’s Day Memorial Day and other holiday weekends Halloween Cultural events in your city where alcohol isinvolved (e.g., Octoberfest) Athletic Event Tailgate Parties—Set up “spotchecks” in immediate area and let them knowahead of time “Safe Grad” Red Ribbon Campaigns in November/December Anniversary dates—especially in local high profilecases Auto Shows/Classic Car Shows—Set up drinking/driving information boothsEach year, someone dies in an alcohol-relatedmotor vehicle crash every 31 minutes andsomeone is injured every two minutes.Source: NHTSA 200520
Page 1 and 2: P O L I C EImpaired DrivingSubcommi
Page 3 and 4: ACKNOWLEDGMENTSThe Impaired Driving
Page 5 and 6: IACP HIGHWAY SAFETY COMMITTEEIMPAIR
Page 7: EXECUTIVE SUMMARYImpaired driving c
Page 10 and 11: LEADERSHIP Encourage the FBI Nation
Page 12 and 13: CRIMINAL JUSTICE COLLABORATIONPARTN
Page 14 and 15: CRIMINAL JUSTICE COLLABORATIONgrowt
Page 16 and 17: CRIMINAL JUSTICE COLLABORATION⎯ W
Page 18 and 19: COMMUNICATIONimpact on public behav
Page 22 and 23: COMMUNICATIONMany traffic safety pa
Page 24 and 25: ENDNOTES1 Taylor, Dexter; Miller, T
Page 26 and 27: APPENDIX B - Internet Resources for
Page 28 and 29: APPENDIX C - Potential PartnersPote
Page 30: APPENDIX D - Acronym KeyAAAAAMVAAAS

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