For nearly four decades, police agencies of all sizes have established public information officer (PIO) functions to communicate with a variety of audiences, particularly the media. The results of a 2000 survey of PIOs shows that, indeed, whereas most describe their role as media-oriented and reactive, some PIOs also use management-oriented, proactive techniques that are consistent with established public relations models. These findings suggest that PIOs perform a wide array of traditional public relations activities and that they have been instrumental in moving law enforcement from a closed to a more open system of communication.
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