A record of a traffic accident, such as this Department of Public Safety incident report form of an accident involving the death of two students, is a public record but may not be available for several days after the accident.
A rapport with law-enforcement agencies facilitates gathering information By Bradley Wilson, CJE Editor
Reporters at newspapers and police department public information officers throughout the nation seem to agree on one procedure: reporters need to establish a positive working relationship with the law enforcement agencies in their coverage area if the journalists expect to produce good stories.
Sabrina Starrett of the University of North Carolina contributed to this story.
SPECIAL EDITION
For high school, middle school and private school reporters, the preparation may be as simple as checking in regularly with the campus police officer or the officer who covers the school beat. Or it may mean walking down the street to the neighborhood fire station or city administration building. “Contacts made before an incident are critical,” said Susan Rossi, public information officer for the Arvada (Colo.) Police Department. “Conduct regular beat checks with PIOs in emergency service fields. It can sometimes land the reporter an exclusive story. I know that when I have seven calls on my voice mail about the same crime, I return the calls of reporters
who make regular beat checks. (I figure there should be some reward for taking the time to regularly call.)” Rossi said the public information officers should be the primary contact on a scene because most law enforcement officers won’t want to comment directly, particularly about an ongoing investigation. “The PIO ‘usually’ has the most up-to-date information,” she said. “Reporters shouldn’t expect to know a great deal at the start of an incident because the events are most likely still unfolding. At this point, the basics are probably all you are going to get.” Todd Nelson, a reporter with the Raleigh (N.C.) News & Observer, agreed that establishing this relation-
ship with officers on the street and their commanding officers is critical for getting usable information. He suggested checking in with sources regularly. “Check in with sources every day, in investigations, in patrol particularly,” he said. “You’ll know what’s going on, and when the officers see that you’re interested and paying attention, they’ll tend to give you more information or tip you to stories you might not have found in reports.” Further, Nelson said establishing such a relationship will make officers more comfortable in helping you cover your story by giving you details that can put a new light on the case. continued on page 56
COMMUNICATION: JOURNALISM EDUCATION TODAY • 55
continued from page 55
‑“As you cover the beat, you might find that officers are willing to provide some details of a case off the record to put it into context or indicate where an investigation is going,” he said. “You’ll get a better story as the case develops with this background information. But don’t publish information an officer said was off the record. Most officers have a one-strike-andyou’re-out policy. Burn them once, and they won’t talk to you again or won’t offer confidential information for a long time. And they’ll let other officers know about the experience.” However, Nelson said getting information directly from an officer is possible if handled right. “Police are usually busy so if you approach an officer at an accident scene or even in the office to ask for information, identify yourself and let them know you would like to speak to them or to the person who is releasing information when they have a moment,” he said. “That works better than storming up as a stranger and demanding information immediately, as you might imagine.” In the second edition of the Student Press Law Center’s report Covering Campus Crime (©1999), Matthew Waite, a reporter at the University of Nebraska’s Daily Nebraskan, said “RePATIENT
CASE
INFORMATION
4, 1997 Date Dec. ___________________________
Number
John Doe Name _____________________________________________________________
R12 @ 290 Incident Location __________________
#50 You'll Never Find It Dr. Address ___________________________________________________________
M1________ M2________ D________ 715 713 705
401 1st Rspdr ________ Other ________
Mileage _________________________
Springs TX 78620 City Dripping __________________________________ State ___ Zip _____________ 512/894-5750 Phone __________________________ 18 07 17 79 XX 72 Age________ DOB _____/_____/_____ Sex M F Wt. ________kg.
Leonard McCoy Personal Physican ___________________________________________________
FOR OFFICE USE ONLY
Blue Cross Insurance Co. _____________________________ Policy No. 67856 _______________ Address _________________________________ Group No. _______________
__________________________________________________________________
Medicare ________________________
Medicaid _________________________
Signature __________________________________________________________
VITAL SIGNS AND MEDICATIONS TIME
Mental Status (AVPU) Blood Pressure Pulse Respirations
2100 V 92/48 92R 32R
(A-Alert, V-Responds to Verbal Stimuli; P-Responds to Painful Stimuli; U-Unresponsive)
2110 V 86/54 94R 30R
2123 V 96/60 102R 30R
2130 V 110/70 92R 24R
2140 V 120/82 84R 16R
2153 V 128/90 64R 20R
2205 V 140/92 52R 18R
Rhythm (EKG)
TREATMENT X
X X X X
15 LPM Oxygen at ___ XX NC NRB _____ Airway Cleared Suction Pharyngeal Airway Ventilation Blood Drawn Dextrose Stick
X X X X X
Drugs EKG Defib MAST Neck Immobilized CID Backboard/Scoop Straps
AIRWAY EGTA
N/A per ______ # attempts ______; successful unsuccessful
ET
N/A per ______ # attempts ______; successful unsuccessful
X X X X
AID Dressing Applied Splinting OB Assist CPR Extrication Patient Exam Vital Signs Other __________
IV
1 # attempts ______; per ______ X successful unsuccessful
16 Gauge #1 ______; Gauge #2_______
NS Amt. infused______ 200mL Solution______;
HISTORY • MEDS • ALLERGIES (Additions to the Narrative)
History _______________________________________________________________________ No significant history obtainable ____________________________________________________________________________ Medications ___________________________________________________________________ No alert bracelets noted ____________________________________________________________________________ Allergies _____________________________________________________________________ KNDA ____________________________________________________________________________
PRIOR
X Bystander
TO
ARRIVAL
Fire Department Rescue Sheriff’s Office CPR Other _____________________________
TRANSPORT X Code 1 2 3 XXX Hospital BER CTMC SAMC Seton StD Other ________________________ No Transport; Reason ________________
ORDERS Standing Orders
X
Yes
No
Yes
No
Head trauma Condition ________________________
Verbal Orders
Doctor __________________________
NARRATIVE (S-Subjective; O-Objective; A-Assessment; P-Plan) S 18yo male found lying on ground on side of street at intersection of RR12 and 290. Pt responsive only to painful stimulus. Bystanders carried pt off road; Bystanders state pt. ran in front of truck at about 2045; Driver of truck states he was going about 30mph and "never saw guy." No deformity of truck noted. Pool of blood noted in road. GCS O Upon EMS arrival, pt. V; skin cool; blood and fluid noted in ears, nose, mouth; target test positive; 1" laceration on right occipital region of head; pupils unreactive and unequal (r dilated); ØJVD; sl tenderness and deformity noted to upper neck; sl tenderness to scalp; decorticate posturing and rigidity of arms/legs noted; lungs = bilat clear, respirations rapid/irregular; abd. non-rigid, non-tender; pelvis unremarkable; weak responses to stimulus to pain in legs; capillary refill x 2 sec in all extremities A r/o spinal injury; laceration to head; possible internal head injury P O2 @ 15 lpm NRB; c-collar; dressing/splint; backboard, CID, straps; 2˚ exam; vitals; C-3 --> BER; IV NS 14 in R arm wide started at 2120; posturing continued en route; vitals unstable (BP elevated; pulse decreased; respirations irregular) White - File • Yellow - File 2 • Pink - Hospital
Run Form.1997.BW
As medical records, EMS reports are generally considered confidential and will not be released without the patient’s written consent.
SOME QUESTIONS TO ASK • Ask who reported a crime or how the police found out about it. The answer can sometimes add interesting details to a story or lead to people or places to check for more information. • Ask if someone who is arrested has a criminal history. The police aren’t necessarily supposed to tell you, but sometimes they will give a hint unofficially, which can lead to important background in court records. • If reports don’t say, ask where victims or suspects work. This can help you find interesting additional angles to a case, such as whether a person charged with a homicide works for the city, the schools, a prominent business or is a prominent person whose name you might not recognize. • If a weapon was involved, ask for details—caliber, how many shots fired, where, how many times (and where) was the victim shot. Contributed by Todd Nelson of The News & Observer (Raleigh, N.C.)
member that cops are human beings too.… Talk with them. Get to know them. Give them an oppportunity to see that you are human, too.…” Rossi pointed out that some information, no matter how much you want it and officers may want to give it out, may be confidential depending on state laws regarding the release of information – the names of minors, for example. To obtain the official record of an incident, reporters can turn to the official, and public, written records. Such reports are often superficial and include information such as time, date, place and nature of the offense; victim’s name, age, address, employer, home and work phone numbers; name of officer or person initiating the report; list of property stolen, damaged or recovered, with value of that property; and a case number. Nelson said the reports are generally readily available but noted that reporters will often have to use the case number to track down more useful information. Some reports, particularly those of campus crime statistics, can be elusive because administrators are often less than willing to disclose this public information. “Clearly, students who know about the dangers that exist on campus are less likely to be crime victims,” the SPLC report says. “Unfortunately, some schools continue to do everything they can to keep crime information secret.…” The SPLC booklet specifically
56 • COMMUNICATION: JOURNALISM EDUCATION TODAY
points out that some reports such as campus police records, annual crime statistics reports and campus court information are public information on most college campuses, public and private. Similar information is often obtainable for public school districts. “Perhaps no information is more important to the journalist covering campus crime than the records of the law enforcement officials with jurisdiction over the school,” the SPLC report said. “The records of these agencies are the ‘meat and potatoes’ of most crime reporting.” ■
The Student Press Law Center’s Website provides student journalists with the opportunity to draft a written request for the records they are looking for citing the relevant provisions of their own state law. The letter generater is at www.splc.org/ ltr_sample.html.
SPECIAL EDITION