BADGES: Not local journalism
With disappointment and surprise, I read the article, “AP: Hundreds of officers lose licenses over sex misconduct,” published Nov. 2. The allegations are disturbing and, if true, the involved officers’ conduct should land them in jail.
But what surprised me the most is that the Coeur d’Alene Press would prominently place a national news story with no local relevance on the front page. Why spotlight negative stories about police officers from Oklahoma in our local paper? As I read the article, I wondered where the balanced journalism was and what the motivation would be other than to further promulgate the nationwide disdain of law enforcement. To me, this was irresponsible reporting that has the potential to distort local public perception of their law enforcement.
Like any other profession, it is true that some police officers misuse their authority and commit crimes. But it is a very small fraction. Considering there are nearly 800,000 police officers in the country, this front-page article spotlights the illegal actions of less than .005-percent of officers. I fully concede that officers in our profession, on occasion, misuse their position. I think we can all agree to that. But what about the obvious, people in nearly every profession cause harm to people due to incompetence and mistakes without a splash on the front page. For perspective, let’s take the medical profession as just one example.
As reported in an Institute of Medicine study, 98,000 people die in hospitals each year as a result of medical errors that could’ve been prevented. Some reports show that medical-related errors are the third leading cause of death in the United States, costing the medical profession between $17 and $29 billion per year. According to a study completed by Health Grades (www.healthgrades.com), a leading health care researcher and online resource for comprehensive information about physicians and hospitals, it states, “Medicare patients who experienced a patient-safety incident had a one-in-five chance of dying as a result of the incident during 2004 to 2006.”
These national statistics don’t make the front page nor should they. Our local medical providers are top in their field, and we all see the overwhelming positive things they do every day to save lives in our community. It would be surprising and disappointing if our local media decided to degrade our local medical professionals on the front page of the local newspaper, especially if it was related to a medical malpractice that happened thousands of miles away.
What’s disappointing to me is that the positive work of our local law enforcement professionals does not make the front page often enough. I work with some of the best first responders in the country. Every day, they come to work with a goal of making a difference and building positive relationships in their community. They do great things every day. And they receive very little recognition.
When I think of the great work of our local police officers, I remember the officers who, after a “routine” traffic stop, had the driver step out with an assault rifle and open fire, shooting hundreds of rounds at them. After picking themselves up and considering the immense risk, they decided to come back to work. Many of the officers returned against their spouse’s wishes. I remember the officers who had to administer CPR on their co-worker who lay in the street after he was shot in the face. And I remember the officer who spent her own money to purchase a sleeping bag for a homeless person who had theirs stolen. Or the officer who stopped to help an elderly man — he was caught red-handed shoveling the man’s driveway this past winter. And a sergeant was seen in cell phone video playing basketball on the street with a group of young children. I could go on.
Let’s make the positive work that our local law enforcement accomplishes every day the front page of our paper. The story of cops doing wrong in a place thousands of miles away could have been more appropriately placed. Our community is better than this. I have lots of pictures of officers doing good if you would like them!
SCOT HAUG
Post Falls