On Thursday, December 3, 2009 I was invited by Capt. Jim Coker, Hoover Police, to attend a meeting that the Hoover Police Department hosted at the Public Safety Center off Valleydale Road.  Attendees at the meeting were most of the Public Information Officers of Jefferson and Shelby County law enforcement agencies, including local police departments, sheriff's offices, and federal agencies, including the FBI.
 
All of the local media was invited, but representation was limited to several Birmingham News reporters, Fox6, CBS42, and The Shelby County Reporter.  The economy has taken a huge bite out of the resources that the media can give.
 
Although BluffParkAl.org is not "media", due to our dissemination of Bluff Park news, we were invited as such, with the purpose being more as an observer than as a participant.  Capt. Coker felt that it would be interesting for us to see, then relay to our members and readers, how media and law enforcement interact.
 
The meeting was held in the Driver's Training classroom of the 1st floor of the Public Safety Center.  The front half of the room was pretty packed with all participants.  Chief Nick Derzis welcomed everyone to the meeting and Capt. Coker then took over.  He explained the purpose of the meeting, the first of its kind, which was for each "side" (law enforcement and media) to suggest to the other side how to get information out faster.  It was an open floor.
 
I don't want to go into specific detail of what each speaker said, but I'll try to summarize the meeting by going over the major points, in no specific order.
 
1.  Public Information Officer (POI) - Most law enforcement and government agencies have a POI.  This is the person designated to speak to, and interact with, the media.  If something happens that is "newsworthy", the reporter will try to contact the POI.  Capt. Coker is the POI for Hoover PD.
 
2.  The News Business if Competitive - Everyone wants to be the first to report an event.  At the Birmingham News, they are upset if they are seconds behind one of the TV stations in getting something on the web.
 
3.  The Internet - All news goes on the web first, then to the other outlets.  In other words, if CBS42 has a story, they'll have a reporter tape the story, but before it airs, it'll be on their web site.
 
4.  Law Enforcement vs. District Attorney - Law enforcement agencies are more apt to give out information to the media than is the District Attorney's Office.  Law enforcement, when in doubt about something, will defer to the DA's Office.  This is due to evidence.  Nobody wants to give out information that might jeopardize the case later on.  If they won't tell you it's because they can't, not because they don't want to.
 
5.  Next of Kin - In the event of a death, no names will be given out until the next of kin has been notified.
 
6.  Active Investigation - If there is an active investigation, and the public is not in immediate danger, no information will be given out to the media.  Bluff Park was used as an example for this.  Back in October when we had the stabbing death on Shades Crest Road, many people on the forum complained that little information was being given out.  The reason for this was simple:  first, the suspect was known to be out of the area, so there was no danger to residents, and second, the investigation was active, and making anything public would have hindered an arrest.  
 
7.  Public's Right to Know - From listening to all of the POIs present, they WANT to let us, the public, know what is going on, but they can't always do that for various reasons.  Lieutenant Randy Christian, the POI for the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office, made that point numerous times, saying he had no problem giving information out to the media, if possible.  
 
I was very grateful to be able to attend this meeting and being able to relay what I saw with forum members.  After the tragic shooting of the Pelham police officer on I-65 the next morning, I knew exactly what Pelham PD, Hoover PD and Shelby County DA's Office were going through and why there was so little information about the incident on the news.  I knew to be patient and that they would come out with a statement when the time was right.
 
Capt. Coker made a statement about the public, and how important they were in helping law enforcement, and how they needed to be kept in the loop, if at all possible.  He again used Bluff Park as an example of how the public can help in solving crimes.
 
I was impressed with some of the reporters and how aggressive they were in order to be the first to get a story out there.  I can tell you that many of those present won't give up until they have the story.  But, as with the rest of us, sometimes they need to be patient.
 
I wish I could have asked them (the media) one question:  Why don't they ever follow up on a story?  Once you read about it, most of the time the story is forgotten while they move on to the next salacious item.
 
I'm grateful for Capt. Coker's invitation.  From this meeting I've learned that we can't always get the information as quick as we would like to have it ("Where's my e-mail from Hoover PD?"), but we'll get it as soon as is practical.  I also have to say that we are incredibly fortunate to have an agency like Hoover PD protecting us.  
 
I probably left out a few things, so if you have any questions, let me have them.  If I can't answer it, I'll be sure to find someone who can.