[Vision2020] November 1-7 Hot Sheet

[Jennifer McFarland]

 Chasuk,

Kai and Wayne are correct about what spotlighting is.  As to why we don't
publish the names of the violators on the hot sheet, there are actually
several reasons: Foremost is that the purpose of the Hot Sheet is to show
what crimes are occurring and where they are occurring so we raise awareness
of what is going on in Latah County.  Prior to publishing the sheets, we'd
often heard people say things like, "Why do you need more officers? Nothing
ever happens in Latah County."  Our main goal with the sheets is to dispel
that rumor.  Most of the newspapers and radio stations that receive our
public record documents publish the names of the offenders, and the arrests
themselves are published in the court documents available at the courthouse.
When we started doing the sheets, we discussed whether or not to publish the
names and decided against it because the names were already available
through these other venues.  It is our job at the Sheriff's Office to detect
and prevent crimes (the hot sheets offer some proof that we are doing so);
it is the media's job to inform (report to) the citizenry of the details of
those crimes.  To some extent, we are trying not to take too much away from
their role.  Other reasons people at our office voiced (in favor of not
publishing names) included the issue of protecting privacy (some of the
crimes listed in the hot sheets are not arrests and rather citations),
protecting victims and reporting parties (familial child sexual abuse and
domestic violence crimes are what immediately spring to mind here), and to
avoid being a catalyst for small-town rumors.

Although I understand the desire to see the names and to have the
publication serve as a potential deterrent to crime, we've made the decision
not to do it at this time.  We will likely review how we do the sheets
(their layout, content, etc.) in January.  With that in mind, I would love
to bring your suggestions to our review ("you" meaning all of those who read
the sheets).  Please, anyone interested in seeing changes to the sheets, let
me know your suggestions.  

Thank you for your inquiry!  I'm glad to know people read them.

--Jennifer 


PIO Jennifer L. McFarland
Latah County Sheriff's Office
Public Information Officer
PO Box 8068
Moscow, Idaho 83843
(208) 882-2216
Fax (208) 883-2281

Truth is the summit of being; justice is the application of it to affairs.
***Ralph Waldo Emerson