Tensions Run High

The scenario is as follows:

Last night, one of your officers (who happens to be white) arrested an African American city alderman after he blew over the legal limit at a New Year’s Eve Check Stop. Tensions in your jurisdiction have been high for the last month because of the release by the media, of your traffic stop demographic data which indicates your department makes disproportionate traffic stops and arrests of African American males. The elected official in question has been especially vocal about this issue.

 Your community is outraged and claim this arrest was racially motivated. Protesters are planning a “Day of Violence” this weekend. You have been tasked with addressing the community at a town-hall meeting on Wednesday, and fielding questions from the media during a news conference following the meeting.

This is what is expected of you:

1. Outline your messaging strategy to include your over-arching goals, identifying unique audiences, tactics for communicating, your messaging and a list of at least five (5) questions you think would be asked by media, and your response to them. This assignment is not required to be submitted in APA format, but does require a Reference section at the end using APA style. Submit your assignment via Moodle with the following file name: Term Assignment. Your Last Name. Your First Name. Submit Word documents only.

2. Shoot a short (no more than 3 minute) video on your phone of your opening statement to the media. You can upload this video to Moodle just like you do any other written assignment. If you have any issues, feel free to use DropBox or any other sharing platform.