PAtownhall.com
Pennsylvania's Marketplace of Ideas
Pennsylvania's Marketplace of Ideas
PAtownhall.com
Pennsylvania's Marketplace of Ideas
Pennsylvania's Marketplace of Ideas
by Chris Freind
Recently I had the distinct displeasure of attending the Philadelphia FBI Office's "Meet The Press Day". Actually, it was nauseating.
I had to sit next to my "colleagues" in the media. And I thought torture was outlawed in America.
After listing to the priorities and initiatives of the Bureau, from combating terrorism and fighting public corruption, to apprehending fugitives to investigating white collar crime, the Special Agents in Charge of each Division asked the media for its help. While positive PR about the FBI and its mission is certainly helpful, there was one overarching theme in their request.
Publish the photographs of the bad guys so that the public can help in their capture.
Since we don't live in a police state, and the FBI is limited in manpower and resources, tips from observant citizens have always provided an immense benefit. That is the reason shows like "America's Most Wanted" have been popular for so long. Law enforcement can only be in so many places at one time, but people are everywhere. And hey, the reward money isn't half bad either.
Incomprehensibly, the Agents' request seemed to be lost on many of the media attendees, as evidenced by reporters' repeated questions about how they can assist in promoting the Bureau's Community Partnership Programs.
Don't get me wrong. These programs are important in their own right, and should be given the publicity they deserve. But if given the choice between profiling a community event and printing picture of a murderer or bank robber, I think the Bureau prefers the latter. Too bad it rarely happens.
Instead, all too often we hear that doing so is "racially insensitive", "bigoted", and doesn't show enough "diversity". Gee, and I thought the issue of getting dangerous predators off the streets trumped bowing to the altar of political correctness.
This paper is not immune from the criticism of such extremists. The Bulletin was the only newspaper in the city that had the courage to publish the photographs of the Philadelphia Police Department's Most Wanted on February 12 of this year. (http://www.thebulletin.us/site/news.cfm?newsid=19289146&BRD=2737&PAG=461&dept_id=619050&rfi=6) Pay no attention to the fact that a black Mayor and black Police Commissioner implored the media for its help by publishing the photos. Ignore reality that the vast majority of victims---both living and dead--- were black. And disregard that the overwhelming majority of people support the publishing of photos. Only one thing really matters.
Many of them were caught.
For every one of these guys that the public helped to capture, how many fewer murders, rapes, robberies and assaults took place? How many children's lives were saved, and how many parents came home in one piece instead of ending up in a morgue?
It's impossible to quantify, but that doesn't matter. If just one person's life, liberty or property were saved from being violated by violent criminals, then the publishing of the photos was worth it.
The FBI has a host of law enforcement partners with whom it coordinates on a daily basis to combat "significant violent crime", such as the Philadelphia Police Department, state and local police, and a host of other federal agencies. It calls this unified team a "force multiplier", for obvious reasons.
Noticeably absent from that list, however, is the entity with the most power of all to assist in the fight against evil.
The media.
That must end, here and now. It's time for the Fourth Estate to aggressively do its part to "multiply the force" a thousand fold. Quite simply, it's time to do our job.
Hey G-Men, we're with you.
Chris Freind can be reached at CF@TheBulletin.us
