Police Reports Are Public Record

I am a "stringer" for a weekly newspaper. Each week I visit the County Sheriff's office to get the arrest reports. I've been informed by a representative of the County Public Defender's Office that the majority of arrest reports go nowhere -- the person arrested might not even be fined or spend little if any time "behind bars."

If you reside in the towns we cover and you do something which gets you arrested, your name, address and crime goes into our paper if you're not a juvenile. Some newspapers might also list juvenile offenders, but that is not our policy. One of our competitors also reviews "offenses" which may not necessarily result in an arrest.

Sometimes the "crimes" are serious -- murder, assault, or grand theft but some are as "little" as not making sure your children attend school, fishing without a license or failing to make sure your dog is properly restrained - either in a fenced in area or on a chain or leash.

I even had one where a person was arrested for Driving Under the Influence (DUI). You might think, correctly, that many people get arrested for that crime, or perhaps you think that not enough do. A DUI doesn't sound too unusual but you have to realize that this person was driving a boat on a creek.

There's a saying that "Nothing is deader than yesterday's news."

It's amazing, however, how easily what was probably used to wrap up yesterday's fish can be found if someone, perhaps an employer, wants to check out future employees.

I like writing up police reports. It's easy and not much more work than reading the report and making sure I get the names spelled correctly and the proper address. I get paid mileage for my trips, too.

I hope people who read this article realize what getting listed in the Police Blotter of a newspaper can mean. Not only do all your friends and neighbors learn about your transgression, but also that security clearance or job you wanted or needed has a good chance of not happening because you didn't think, didn't avoid taking that extra drink or did whatever got you in trouble.

The idea I'm trying to impart is simply this: there used to be a song which included "If you can't do the time, don't do the crime." I've been trying to come up with a word which rhymes with notoriety but don't know a good one. Someone did come up with something that sounds pretty good: "If you don't want to be in the paper, don't do the caper."

Perhaps a reader might be able to.