In Boise, Idaho, the local law enforcement agency disseminates a guide (Boise Police Department Media Guide). Reporters are told who to contact for individual crimes, police codes, and police policy. It is evidence of a growing push towards allowing media into a world that was once considered to be sacred. .
Conversely, there was a move by the San Francisco Police Department to restrict what information investigators could tell reporters (Derbeken, 2004). Media was directed to the public affairs office and then information could only be distributed with a supervisor's approval. The department was already known for its rigid stance on releasing information. In 2004, the department also required reporters to file a Public Records Request before reviewing police reports. .
Policies as strict as the one seen in San Francisco are becoming a thing of the past. Departments are beginning to understand that a positive relationship with the media can result in good things for the agency. Police departments should expect to interact with the media. The push should be towards relaying information to the media that is accurate and timely. This would prevent the need for media to obtain information from sources that may be anti-police. The media needs to trust that agencies will remain accessible. The playing of favorites among media outlets could hurt the agencies credibility. All information should be given to a central location where all media can get to it.
To create a good relationship, law enforcement must first get to know the media and its audience. Mass media is the means through which information is transmitted to a large audience. This includes newspapers, television radio, and more recently the internet. Those which provide news and information are known as news media (medianalysis, 2007). One must understand that media is made up of individuals seeking a profit. News sells. Timely and accurate news sells faster.