The barriers to effective communication
The barriers to effective communication according to the case study are very apparent. The first barrier to effective communication is lack of cooperation and sharing of vital information between members of different law enforcement agencies, in this case, the local police department and federal agents.
For instance, Murphy tells Adobe Centori that they should keep the Jennifer connection a secret from the local police until they have a clear understanding of the whole situation. Murphy goes on to state that they should not be honest with the local police because some of the files they have on the case remain classified. However, Centori interjects by arguing that they can be honest with the local police without disclosing all the information. It is also surprising that Centori does not understand the position Murphy holds in the government. Centori wants to understand this before they go inside the local police department. This is a clear demonstration of lack of disclosure and information sharing hindering effective communication.
Clear insubordination of law enforcement agents
Another notable challenge to effective communication was clear insubordination of law enforcement agents. Because of Centurion being a Sherriff from Coruna County, New Mexico, police commissioner Waldan does not think he is worthy of being part of a serious investigation. He also disregards any valuable information offered by Adobe Centori concerning the case. These problems can be solved by having cooperation, consultation and information sharing between different law enforcement agencies. Respecting all agents regardless of their ranks or the units they hail from is also key to solving the communication challenges.
Different styles of leadership
The federal agents and the New York Police Department have very different styles of leadership. The federal agents have developed a culture of transactional leadership where subordinates are rewarded based on their performance. Though Centurion is a junior Sherriff, he is assigned to a very important investigation based on his service in Cuba and the awards he has won as a law enforcement agent. The NYPD on the other hand, has an authoritative style of leadership where orders flow from top to bottom. Police Commissioner Waldan seems to be the only officer not in official police uniform amongst all the other officers because of his seniority.
