Chapter 10 Enhancing Public Relations

1. Chapter 10Enhancing Public Relations

2. Public Relations • Public relations includes all activities undertaken to enhance image and create goodwill. • Private security officers convey an image of their employer that can either promote or detract from public relations efforts. • Promoting good public relations is a vital part of any security officer’s job.

3. Effective Public Relations • Good public relations require that security personnel: • Look professional. • Act professionally.

4. Special Populations • Security personnel may need to interact with: • The elderly. • Individuals with Alzheimer’s disease may appear intoxicated. • The disabled • Speech of individuals who have been deaf since birth may sound garbled which also appears as intoxication. • Epileptic seizures can look like street drugs or alcohol at work. • Non-English speaking individuals. • Those who are homeless.

5. Dealing with the Press and the Media • Security managers should balance the public’s “right to know” and the reporters’ First Amendment right to publish what they know with their employers’ needs to withhold certain information and to protect their privacy.

6. Security and Effective Public Relations • A security officer who looks and acts like a professional will have greater likelihood of preventing crime, the primary purpose of being hired initially. • Good public relations can also promote the security program and its safety and protection objectives.

7. Summary Questions • What is public relations? • What is the role of security personnel in public relations? • What factors are important to effective public relations? • What special populations must security personnel learn to interact with?

8. Summary Questions • What medical or other conditions can be mistaken for intoxication or being high on drugs? • What balance should security managers strive for when dealing with the press and media? • How does effective public relations affect security?