This newspaper supports local law enforcement. Officers and their leaders have a difficult and sometimes impossible job. Their service is greatly appreciated.
But they are simply making it too easy to write editorials about decisions to keep crime quiet. The public first saw the results of this misguided strategy two weeks ago at a McComb press conference before the Independence Day weekend. Chapter Two occurred this week, when a crowd of Summit merchants demanded more information and better protection from town police after a string of business burglaries that conveniently had not been made public.
A downtown property owner told the Summit town council that business break-ins have been going on for as long as six months. A newspaper story about the meeting listed five businesses that have been burglarized, along with two nearby residences.
The people who spoke to the council are concerned about the protection of their businesses and their personal safety. But an equally important element of this story can only be described as the strategy not to discuss these burglaries publicly, and to keep information about them out of the newspaper and social media. Some of the merchants said they have heard nothing from the police department since the crimes occurred.
To repeat the point made in a July 6 editorial about McComb’s failure to release crime information: When things get bad enough, the story comes out. And when that happens without warning, it makes things worse.
In McComb’s case, the city held a press conference to discuss plans to crack down on random gunfire. In Summit, business owners told town officials that they feel ignored and vulnerable to more crime.
It is true that stories about crime can reflect negatively on a community. But if Summit withheld information about crimes that appear to be related and that have alarmed the business community, that is a pure embarrassment.
Law enforcement has no legal obligation to release information about these crimes, although state law says incident reports are public record. But the tendency of today’s police keep things quiet is a grand example of poor judgment.
The Enterprise-Journal reaches a lot of local residents through its print edition, website and Facebook page. It doesn’t matter if information about crimes and arrests goes to the newspaper, radio station or somewhere else. But for crying out loud, get the news out there. Let people know what’s going on. It’s important.
Everybody knows that we live in a dangerous world. This is not Fantasy Island. Crime is a fact of life. Ultimately, law enforcement that is more open and candid will retain the respect of the people it serves — people who understand the challenges of modern police work and appreciate the effort to prevent crime. As Summit learned this week, hiding the facts solves nothing.
It is no fun to write editorials that bash local police. But this issue is so preventable. Shine a light on crime in hopes of preventing some of it.
