It’s a pretty tough time to be a good cop.
Every few days, it seems, a new story of questionable law enforcement conduct explodes onto the scene. Sometimes, those stories hit close to home. On July 8, a Stonewall man dies from asphyxiation after an encounter with a police officer at a gas station. On July 21, a Memphis man dies in police custody in Southaven after reportedly being hogtied and telling officers he was having trouble breathing due to asthma.
The story of the Texas woman who died in police custody after being arrested following a routine traffic stop caught on a police cruiser’s dash-board camera continues to capture the nation’s attention.
While none of these incidents have any link at all to our local law enforcement, they do impact them in one way: The public perception of law enforcement has suffered. When the conduct of an officer in Stonewall or Southaven or Texas is called into question, some people begin to see all officers in a less favorable light.
There has been some indication that our law enforcement agencies are aware of this and have taken some measures to reassure the public and strengthen ties with the community through events such as “Coffee with a Cop,” neighborhood meetings, the “Black and White Ball” and other activities.
While we applaud these efforts, we note an important bridge between law enforcement and the public has been neglected of late.
Most of what the community knows about local law enforcement comes through the media by what they see on the TV news or read in the newspaper. The most astute law enforcement organizations recognize the media’s role as a valuable intermediary in the work they do and the people they serve.
But in recent weeks, we have found the lines of communication between The Dispatch and our city and county law enforcement have been less than ideal.
Calls to senior law enforcement officials go unanswered or unreturned. Basic information on incidents that have occurred in our community have been needlessly withheld. It is one thing to withhold sensitive information as law enforcement investigates a crime. We understand that and do not believe the public’s right to know should be a priority over maintaining the integrity of an investigation.
But when law enforcement refuses to provide even the address of a business that has been burglarized, we believe law enforcement is doing a disservice not to The Dispatch, but to the readers who have a reasonable expectation to know those details. We believe surrounding business owners have a right to know if the store down the block has been burglarized.
Likewise, when an arrest is made, people have a right to know, in a timely manner, if the suspect lives next door. The people entrusted to lead these agencies should be agreeable to talking to the citizens through the platform media provides.
It should be remembered that law enforcement employees are public employees paid by taxpayer money. They do answer to the people and the people have a right to know about how they perform their public duties.
Beyond that, it makes sense that law enforcement maintain a healthy working relationship with the media, which more than anything else, shapes public perception of law enforcement.
At a time when that perception is damaged by events that happen far away, it is wise for law enforcement to work cooperatively with the media and not for sake of the media.
Operating in what is perceived as a climate of secrecy undermines the work of our good cops.
Clearly, law enforcement benefits when it maintains a good working relationship with the media.
Those benefits should be obvious, especially in times such as these.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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