shut the front door
05-31-2023, 12:16 PM
I follow the Bangor, Maine PD on FB because they post a lot of good stuff. A follower asked why they don't post pictures of suspects on their site. The following reply really hits the nail on the head and reminded me of that other site and the horrible comments people post.
"Dave, I'm sorry I can't use your real name, but here is my thought process. Years ago, I ran a photo of a lady who stole a shopping cart full of merchandise from a national chain big box franchise.
I don't recall the exact amount, but I do recall that it was over five hundred dollars worth of "stuff." It was near Christmas. The detail —that it was around Christmas— will give you a clue about where this is going.
The officers and the retailer wanted to catch the woman, so, against my better judgement, I ran the photo with a semi-comical approach. Blah, blah, blah. I do find humor can carry a message, but it was Christmas, and it really wasn't all that funny.
Well, the woman who was stealing happened to be Christmas "shopping" for her children. Now, I'm not exactly anti-crime and punishment, but I am, down deep, a pretty soft-hearted guy. The woman turned herself in to our department.
Do you know why, Dave? Because one of her children saw the photo and called their mother to beg her to turn herself in. It was that day that I changed my mind about running photos depicting minor incidents on the BPD FB page. There is a positive that came out of that, but I'm not sharing the details because it would be self-serving and unnecessary.
You see, I don't support stealing things. However, I do support the notion that kids and other loved ones don't deserve to be party to the incidents that we as cops see every day.
Some law enforcement agencies run photos of everyone. People who were arrested for minor crimes, people who were caught drinking and driving, and, I believe, sometimes, the story the photos show is not the whole story. We do have to be responsible in our use of social media; nope, that's not a policy, it's just the right thing to do.
So, you might have seen my posts called, "Got Warrants?" Those stories do not have photos, but the words and custom-built hyperbole convey the comical things that we see without subjecting the suspects (or loved ones) to the hateful commentary that sometimes is clickity-clicked into a keyboard once a photo of another human is shown. Even people who make bad decisions don't deserve to be berated by people who might become thoughtless in their commentary.
You know, it's odd, Dave. Some people who would never in their wildest dreams make fun of someone in person suddenly feel empowered to say nasty things on Facebook. I just don't want to facilitate that. It saves me headaches, and it saves other people from feeling "less than worthy to go on."
Cops are not perfect, and I am a perfect example of imperfection. But that's how we do it, and I hope it never changes.
So, Dave....No pictures for you! We have a lot of reach, but we also have to use it responsibly.
Keep your hands to yourself, leave other people's things alone, and be kind to one another.
All we have is each other."
Just thought this would be worth sharing here.
"Dave, I'm sorry I can't use your real name, but here is my thought process. Years ago, I ran a photo of a lady who stole a shopping cart full of merchandise from a national chain big box franchise.
I don't recall the exact amount, but I do recall that it was over five hundred dollars worth of "stuff." It was near Christmas. The detail —that it was around Christmas— will give you a clue about where this is going.
The officers and the retailer wanted to catch the woman, so, against my better judgement, I ran the photo with a semi-comical approach. Blah, blah, blah. I do find humor can carry a message, but it was Christmas, and it really wasn't all that funny.
Well, the woman who was stealing happened to be Christmas "shopping" for her children. Now, I'm not exactly anti-crime and punishment, but I am, down deep, a pretty soft-hearted guy. The woman turned herself in to our department.
Do you know why, Dave? Because one of her children saw the photo and called their mother to beg her to turn herself in. It was that day that I changed my mind about running photos depicting minor incidents on the BPD FB page. There is a positive that came out of that, but I'm not sharing the details because it would be self-serving and unnecessary.
You see, I don't support stealing things. However, I do support the notion that kids and other loved ones don't deserve to be party to the incidents that we as cops see every day.
Some law enforcement agencies run photos of everyone. People who were arrested for minor crimes, people who were caught drinking and driving, and, I believe, sometimes, the story the photos show is not the whole story. We do have to be responsible in our use of social media; nope, that's not a policy, it's just the right thing to do.
So, you might have seen my posts called, "Got Warrants?" Those stories do not have photos, but the words and custom-built hyperbole convey the comical things that we see without subjecting the suspects (or loved ones) to the hateful commentary that sometimes is clickity-clicked into a keyboard once a photo of another human is shown. Even people who make bad decisions don't deserve to be berated by people who might become thoughtless in their commentary.
You know, it's odd, Dave. Some people who would never in their wildest dreams make fun of someone in person suddenly feel empowered to say nasty things on Facebook. I just don't want to facilitate that. It saves me headaches, and it saves other people from feeling "less than worthy to go on."
Cops are not perfect, and I am a perfect example of imperfection. But that's how we do it, and I hope it never changes.
So, Dave....No pictures for you! We have a lot of reach, but we also have to use it responsibly.
Keep your hands to yourself, leave other people's things alone, and be kind to one another.
All we have is each other."
Just thought this would be worth sharing here.