The Rowman & Littlefield Handbook of Policing, Communication, and Society

Policing necessitates people and government communicate. Absent communication, the police often struggle and fail. Policing is not an abstraction; rather, it provides content and meaning for the police and their constituents. In an era of over-numerating policing, bringing meaning to the bean counting is a major achievement of The Rowman & Littlefield Handbook of Policing, Communication, and Society. The editors offer a rich mosaic centering communications at the core of policing, where it belongs. A must read for serious police and civil leaders, and police scholars.

-- Jack R. Greene, Professor Emeritus, Northeastern University

Giles, Maguire, and Hill have created a milestone Handbook – a comprehensive, balanced, theory-led, and evidence-based account of policing in all its forms. They frame policing as intergroup communication, in a context where lives are at stake, and thus highlight the crucial importance of communication and social identity. This timely and cogent book is a key resource for everyone in social psychology and communication, and it will have a major and needed impact on policy, practice, and the discussion of policing in society.

-- Cindy Gallois, Past President of the International Communication Association and Professor Emeritus, School of Psychology, University of Queensland, Australia

Giles, Maguire, and Hill have masterfully pointed out that communication is one of the most important tools police officers and leaders have at their disposal. We applaud the Handbook’s focus on the unique and specialized role of communication, as well as the role that science can and should play, in informing our use of it.

-- Jim Burch, President, National Police Founda