Avoid criticizing crime work on social media

When violent crimes happen in any of our communities, it’s unnerving. But when a violent crime involves a teenager, the shock is even greater.

The July 22 announcement in Florence that a 17-year-old from Russellville has been indicted and charged with murder and robbery is a great example. The announcement came just four days shy of being four months after a shooting incident on March 26 claimed the life of a 13-yearold student.

The incident rattled two communities. Russellville residents, adults and students alike, were shocked to learn that a star athlete at Russellville High had been arrested in connection with the case. Florence residents, adults and students also, were stunned by that an eighth-grade student at Colbert Heights High School, who lived at the Southern Oaks Village apartments in Florence, had been shot and killed.

At the time of the arrest, police did not reveal the identity or ages of the victim or suspect because they were juveniles. The Lauderdale County District Attorney’s office cited a state statute in explaining the decision not to reveal the ages, saying it was identifying information.

The Franklin County Times and its sister publication, the TimesDaily in Florence, were able to get the victim’s name from Colbert Heights school officials, who had the permission of his parents to release that information.

For weeks after the arrest, social media sites criticized the Florence Police Department’s handling of the case, especially the failure to release details of the case and the names of the robbery accomplice and the shooter. We understand both concerns, and we also understand law enforcement’s side as well.

Florence Police Chief Mike Holt explained it well in his comments at the July 22 press conference.

His investigators “worked tirelessly for months to establish the fact in this case,” said Holt, pointing out the case was “very emotional and will continue to be so.”

“Police officers must objectively collect and examine evidence to get to the truth,” Holt said. “That’s their job and they did the job well.”

Doing it well meant investigators had to distance themselves from the criticism they faced from social media.

“This case received a great deal of social media and public attention,” Holt admitted. “Investigating crimes of this nature can take a significant personal toll on a person. … That toll can be further compounded when investigators’ names and at times their professional reputations come in discussion in public discourse.”

The same principle holds true for this newspaper. We want to present the news of our community to our readers as soon as possible. But when that news involves violent crimes, we are willing to allow law enforcement the time necessary to do its job. And we encourage you, as citizens, to do the same.

Violent crimes take a tremendous toll on our communities when they occur. The emotional toll is immediate and widespread. People want answers to questions. They want details as to how and why such an act can occur.

Those sentiments are a normal reaction to shocking developments. Ask your questions, but don’t be so quick to lambast public officials and issue allegations that question the professional reputations of those who have the difficult job of getting to the bottom of violent crimes.

Those days, weeks and sometimes months that it takes to unravel the clues in a murder case are critically important elements of the judicial process.