Central Michigan University

CMU author pens handbook for aspiring police leaders

Monday, March 24, 2008

Topics in this story: American politics and society, College of Humanities and Social and Behavioral Sciences, Education, English Language and Literature

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Media Contact(s):

Heather Smith
989-774-1702

Program Contact(s):

Elizabeth Brockman
989-774-3671

A new book by a Central Michigan University English professor is defining the role that written communication plays for law enforcement officers.

Elizabeth Brockman, professor and director of composition in CMU's English department, says that her book, "The Blue Guide: Written Communication for Leaders in Law Enforcement" published by Pearson Education, challenges traditional ideas about writing in the field of law enforcement.

"Police officers have long understood written communication as "copspeak," bureaucratic paper shuffling or a matter of mere correctness, but I take a different approach in this book," she said. "Instead, I argue that good writing is a leadership tool with the power to build self-image, enhance public relations, promote policies and procedures, and increase departmental morale. In other words, police officers can be more effective leaders if they are good writers."

According to Brockman, one of the more interesting sections of the book focuses on police reports. "I define the report as a 'genre,' a term police officers don't typically throw around at work, and then isolate and explain the six 'genre features' that characterize reports," she said.

The section also includes three case studies of police officers in the act of investigating a crime and writing up the report. The case studies, one of which is based on CMU management faculty member and Isabella County under sheriff John Vinson, demonstrate the steps that police officers make in planning and drafting reports. They also demonstrate how the hierarchical culture of police departments influence the way officers write reports.

Having never worked in the field of law enforcement, Brockman wrote the book based on her work with more than 1,000 officers since 1993. She also has read more than 4,000 police documents as a workshop leader for Police Executive Leadership College, a professional development organization for police officers, many of whom encouraged her to write the book.

Brockman earned a Ph.D. in English from Ohio State University in 1995 and began teaching composition and composition methods at CMU in 1996. She is associate editor of "Pedagogy: Critical Approaches to Teaching Literature, Language, Composition, and Culture" published by Duke University Press and was named the College of Humanities and Social & Behavioral Sciences' 2006-07 teacher of the year.