WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) today announced the release of Police-Media Interactions During Mass Demonstrations, a new report that seeks to help law enforcement improve the response to demonstrations specifically through recommendations for police-media interactions. The report, produced by the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) and the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF), in collaboration with the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press (Reporters Committee), details how law enforcement and members of the media can better recognize each other, have an increased understanding of their unique roles, and take steps to improve their interactions when carrying out their duties to the public.

“I believe these recommendations will serve multiple purposes,” said Hugh T. Clements, Jr., Director of the COPS Office. “They will help police safely manage demonstrations, at the same time respecting the First Amendment rights of the media. In turn, journalists will be better able to safely report on the protests.”

The COPS Office is the federal component of the Justice Department responsible for advancing community policing nationwide. The only Justice Department agency with policing in its name, The COPS Office was established in 1994 and has been the cornerstone of the nation’s crime fighting strategy with grants, a variety of knowledge resource products, and training and technical assistance. Through the years, the COPS Office has become the go-to organization for law enforcement agencies across the country and continues to listen to the field and provide the resources that are needed to reduce crime and build trust between law enforcement and the communities served. The COPS Office has been appropriated more than $20 billion to advance community policing, including grants awarded to more than 13,000 state, local, territorial, and Tribal law enforcement agencies to fund the hiring and redeployment of approximately 138,000 officers.

The report is available here.

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