Letter to the Editor
Police reports
Published Thursday, March 27, 2008
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To the editor:
OK — enough is enough!
I am writing to express my displeasure with the apparent current policy of the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner to print so much of the police reports in the “crime section” of your paper. I’m probably, at times, guilty too of opening the local section to see if I personally know anyone arrested the previous day in our city.
But I don’t need to know that:
“the subject dropped his pants and threatened to defecate on the jail floor” or
“the accused urinated onto $217 worth of sugar in Safeway and was found passed out” or
“the accused was found fondling his girlfriend’s breast as she slept” or
“this was the eighth time this month local police have been called to this address” or
“the accused was … etc.”
Your published police accounts may, or may not, be what actually happened in each incident. This is nothing more than sensationalism, not objective journalism. I’m sure it sells papers the same way the National Enquirer sells its rag publication — by appealing to the reader’s curiosity and fascination with their other fellow citizens’ errant behavior.
But the bigger issue seems to me to be that the News-Miner is basically conducting any following trial or judgment right there on your newspaper pages. By printing all the sordid details of each arrest you are certainly influencing the outcome of any trial to follow. How can a selected juror, or even a presiding judge, who reads your paper not be influenced after associating the accused with the newspaper report? Something like — “Oh, so this is the person who urinated in the sugar. He must have a problem with defying authority.”
I know police reports are a matter of public record, but save that for the trial — OK?
I am fine with the basic format of name, age, and charge: John Doe, 54, of Ester was arrested and charged with whatever — I don’t want, or need, to know all the sordid details of the alleged crime.
Aren’t people deemed innocent until trial? Apparently not in the News-Miner. As Jack Webb on “Dragnet” used to say —“Just the facts ma’am.”
Community Discussion
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The News-Miner is publishing what the police file in their report. The police report is an integral part of the trial. Jurors will be exposed to it at some point regardless of it being printed or not.
No one forces you to read it. Many of us enjoy (and take great humor in) the details.
Actually, police reports are considered hearsay and are largely inadmissible at trial.
Police reports are allowed at trial, as long as the officer testifies that what is written in the report is true, and they cannot testify to what other people told them. The newspaper reports are based on either the press releases put out by the various departments (usually available on their respective web sites) or on the affidavit submitted to the court when the person is charged with the crime. Since the judge has to read the affidavit to find if there is probable cause that the crime occured, reading the same (probably watered down) info in the newspaper the next day will do absolutley nothing to sway their opinion, since they have already read it by the time it hits the paper. Civics 101.
Same argument as when I don't like what's on the radio - I change the channel. I don't like romance novels, so I don't buy them. I skip over the advertisements in any magazine I may read because I don't like them. I tend to channel flip during commercials because again, I don't like them. Same principle applies here, in my opinion anyway.
I would very much like it if the NM could do follow-ups though on the more sensational stories (yes, yes, time and money, but if we're wishing for unicorns here...). It would be interesting to see guilty/innocent/no contests for the avid reader, and vindicating for those who don't like that they were in the paper to begin with.
Dana, we do occasionally post court judgments in the paper on a space-available basis. While we can't follow up on every story of interest, we do try to strike a compromise by publishing both the police reports and the judgments.
Mr. Maguire... I totally agree with you regarding those details we don't really need/want to know about in the first place. Dana... Do you have school-aged children? My child is at times required to search the newspaper for articles pertaining to certain subjects (Alaska news-Iditarod and politics mostly) for class reports. His choice??? It would be nice to have a tastefully written newspaper he can read through without having to be censured. James Brooks... So you "occasionally" post court judgements depending on space availability? Seems to me if you omit the garbage we don't want to read about then you just might find some more space. BTW, I've never read an innocent verdict in the "court judgement" page. What's up with that? Hmmm.... :)
Bob -
Thanks for the editorial - I, too, have thought this many times. I think it is sad that many people use the misfortune of others for their own personal amusement. I canceled my daily subscription a while back because of this and will not renew until this 'gossip' is taken from the pages.
Some of the articles, etc are truely funny....until your kid hits the papers - They should do the reports, if they must, AFTER guilt is established, not before. Everyone here that has been pulled over for 'an illegal turn' or 'you forgot your turn-signal' when driving after midnight (sober) knows that the police dont always quite get it right - even though they do an outstanding job...
I just wish for the days of a nice wholesome newspaper - alas, probably wont ever see it in my lifetime....Please do away with this section - it is truely written just for those who love misfortune and can't wait to see their neighbors and friends in the paper.
Oh -
and reviewing the comment from the New's Miner Staff...
Judgements are done on a 'Space Available Basis' - - but it sure does seem that they can't miss even one police report.
Sound as balanced as the gentleman says?
sensationalism sells-
always has, always will.
GOPKING...right on. I have seen numerous times where specific pieces of police reports have been either not allowed or presented at trials. Heresay is a huge factor in many police reports...especially if the investigating officer is relying on a witness and did not experience the act first-hand. Too much detail...lose it, please.
When my buddy and I used to live/work in Fort Yukon, we would anxiously await the mail plane so we could look at page 2 of the local section. We had a saying "if you aren't on page 2, you are having a good day" (not in the jail news/obituaries)!! I like reading it, and it lets us know if we need to console a friend when they get pinched. Keep the section!
Bob, I also have had the same feelings about the police blotter. I still check it everyday but agree that the embarassing details should be left out. It is already a punishing consequense to have your name and charge in the paper but the ridiculing details are unnecessary. This really boiled me over when I read a police blotter that actually made fun of a person reporting a crime!!! To sum it up it pretty much gave the reader the impression of, ok this person is obviously a drunk and the crime she reported is ridiculous. It was clearly put in to entertain. As a side note, Your not only ridiculing the accused but cause a lot of embarrasment for the parents/family as well.
Let's see if I understand...you all want a newspaper that only publishes pictures of kittens, oil company ads, credits the Republicans with everything that turns out OK, and has store coupons on Sundays. Wouldn't it be hard to read with your heads in the sand.
there are some places where people paying for sex are not only arrested but their photo is placed on the front page of their local newspaper. i have no opinion concerning the morals of prostitution one way or another, but it seems to me that for a penalty such exposure is a bit harsh. my point is, not only does something like that destroy the life of the offender but it could also destroy the lives of his family, especially his children. but then i guess he should have considered the hazards of engaging a hooker.
"Police reports are allowed at trial, as long as the officer testifies that what is written in the report is true, and they cannot testify to what other people told them."
This is not accurate. The definition of "hearsay" is "an out-of-court statement being offered for the truth of the matter asserted within that statement." If the prosecution or defense attempt to admit details from a police report for the purpose of establishing the truth of those details, it is hearsay and not admissible. It does not matter if it is the police officer's own observations or is something a witness told him that he put in his report. When police officers testify at trial, they must testify from his/her own recollection of eventss. He cannot testify from his police report. The only time he may reference his/her police report is to refresh his/her recollection of events. Even then, he/she does not read the report to the jurors.
Oh come you guys - I like reading the police report! If that's all I have time for, that's the only thing that I'll read. I totally agree with Yukonjohn it lets me know if I need to console a friend.
Also, I do it for the same reason I (occasionally) watch cops, CSI, L&O - to know the 'enemy' and learn all of their dirty tricks. The local blotter, as well as those shows, have taught me to ALWAYS drive in a legal vehicle, always signal your turns, etc... Because that seems to be how they get you - especially these days.
Funny thing, I actually started reading the police report religiously to see what my ex- had pulled next. Sometimes it was just a DUI, but then there was that happy day that she was busted for dealing coke and went to jail (that made the custody battle really really easy).
"Let's see if I understand...you all want a newspaper that only publishes pictures of kittens, oil company ads, credits the Republicans with everything that turns out OK, and has store coupons on Sundays. Wouldn't it be hard to read with your heads in the sand."
Starman - nobody here has said anything close to that and reading back through the comments I find it impossible to determine how you came to that conclusion.
I'm fine with the police blotter, but I don't think those that dislike the police blotter are by default kitten-hugging-oil-company-loving-Republican-worshipping coupon clippers.
Pee'ed on the sugar! Man you cant make this stuff up! Thats awesome!
I enjoy reading the crime reports. like many others I read to see if there is any one I know. And I appreciate when the NM reports follow ups to those crimes that they may believe to be worthy of thier time.
BUT I was very upset several years ago to see they had used a crime report for one of those 10 years ago , 20 years ago , 50 years ago things...
Unfortunately, my son as a teenager who had just turned 18 along with a 17 year old supposedly friend broke the law. My son learned his lesson and was never in trouble with the law after that. and guess what? 10 years later he is news again. He had become an adult having paid for his crime and had moved on to have a productive positive life. ( the other boy basically got off because he was a minor even tho he was the "leader")
But suddenly my son was "news " again.
not that he had paid for his crime, only that he had commited it.
the other boy also became a habitual criminal. but that is not reported.
I couldn't have said it better myself! The news miner totally disregards how this affects the victim(s) of certain crimes. They should be ashamed of themselves - NO one needs to hear all the details that by the way aren't always as they print, because sometimes the trooper reports aren't accurate. Take our case - the trooper got 2 cases mixed up and what was reported was not the truth, yet it was in the paper and the victim (who's name they didn't print - but was the only sibling of) was humiliated and picked on at school because of it!
My Daddy used to say,"If it work's,don't mess with it!!!"
There's an easy fix to all of this:
Don't commit a crime and you won't end up in the paper.
Plain and simple.
The police report is the best part of the news-miner!
The only thing I notice about the police report that it's reruns. The same people keep getting stopped and for the same thing. I have also found the people that yell the loudest about police reports or the police are the guilty ones. Keep up the good work newsminer. Oh by the way my name has been in police reports twice in the 20 years I've lived here. Both for vehicle accidents. The only thing depressing about that is they posted my age. So much for that secret.
Let me begin by saying I rarely read the police blotter, and neither I nor any of my friends (to the best of my knowledge) have ever been in the police blotter. Having said that, I believe that the police blotter is just fine the way it is and serves two purposes. First, it acts as a deterrent, knowing that you might get your name in the paper for using excessively poor judgment. Second, it educates the public about what the police deal with on a regular basis. Without it, there would be even more people who believe that the only criminals are the ones that make the front page because of a heinous act. This way, they can see that day in and day out, there are criminals committing criminal acts, and maybe live their lives in a more defensive manner. And again, it's not like the paper is making this stuff up. They are only reporting what the police are putting in their press releases or in their affidavits to the court (not their police reports, which are not a matter of public record). Affidavits, by the way, are a matter of public record and anyone can go to the court and request to see those that have been recently filed.
I was once in a main article in the Newsminer, as well as on state wide news (got a call from several relatives that night). They said a lot of nonsense in both places. I'll forgo the details, but I will say that the troopers told me they had me on several air tight felonies. They then tried to intimidate me and tell be I'd loose my job (among other things) to try to get me to confess to stupid things.
Of course, I was never charged with anything.
And people wonder why I don't trust the police. *shakes head*
Good thing that my employers don't believe everything they read. It did affect my life in some ways - in fact I'm sure that there are some that still judge me by that article...
I'd love to think that I could sue the newsminer for something, but they were just reporting what the police report said...
alaskastoryteller,
Congratulations on not ever being in the police blotter, you get a gold star! I will give myself a gold star as well for never being on page 2 of B section! Yet, I still don't think it's right to divulge every embarassing moment so, the public can get a good laugh!
To WildAlaskan Just because your arrested does'nt mean you commited a crime. plain and simple. But I do enjoy reading the police reports, for the reasons already stated' to see if anyone I know is listed. Also to Bob I have been accused of defying authority a time or two. I wish how to use spellcheck
I once worked at a social service agency here in town; every morning it was a staff members job to go through the blotter and see if any of the names mentioned were in our data base. If they were, we'd scan it in to file. We never knew convictions or appeals or details, just what they were accused of committing. Most of these clients were inactive; when a client came to the agency to receive additional help the caseworker in charge would have a file on the client and these charges would be