The crime report that appears in each edition of The Union Daily Times is taken from incident, offense and booking reports and even arrest warrants compiled by The Union County Sheriff’s Office and The Union Public Safety Department. The reports are composed of three sections: Stories about major crimes or crimes involving some unusual or bizarre behavior on the part of those arrested; incidents which look at crimes reported but for which no one has yet been arrested; and arrests which list those charged with lesser offenses.
We publish these crime reports because, first, they are public record and as the newspaper of record for Union County for the past 160 years it is our duty to keep the public informed to the fullest extent possible about what’s happening in the community. We prefer, of course, to write stories about the positive things that are happening in the community but good news is not the only news. Crime, sadly, is a also a reality in our community and therefore we have an obligation to report the bad news along with the good.
To do that, however, requires printing the names of those who have been arrested and this we do with only one exception. The exception is for minors who, unless their crime is so heinous they must be tried as adults, are handled differently by the criminal justice system than adult offenders. We agree with this policy and so we keep their names out of the report for the same reason the law handles juveniles differently: These are children who have gone astray and — it is hoped — can be turned away from criminal activity before it becomes a habit that follows them into adulthood when the law is far less forgiving.
Adults, however, do not have the excuse of childhood and are expected to know better than to take and/or destroy what is not theirs, use addictive and mind-altering substances, commit acts of violence or engage in other forms of anti-social behavior. It is because of this expectation that adults are held to a higher standard by the criminal justice system and why the names of persons arrested in Union County are published in the pages of The Union Daily Times.
The crime report is not, however, the final word on a person’s guilt or innocence any more than an arrest warant, incident report or booking sheet is. That issue is decided in court and in the eyes of the law all those arrested are innocent until proven guilty.
Second, the crime reports are a reminder that the price of being the kind of safe and pleasant community to live, work, do business and raise a family in that Union County prides itself on being requires a strong law enforcement effort supported by the public. Simply put, the police cannot be everywhere at once and it’s up to each and every one of us when we see a crime being committed to get involved by calling the police. That involvement does not, however, end with a phone call — it requires those involved giving a statement to the authorities and, if necessary, testifying in court.
Third, the crime reports are, we hope, a deterrence to criminal activity. Whether it’s shoplifting or other forms of theft; drug possession and/or distribution; criminal domestic violence or the various other forms of violent crime including rape and murder; vandalism and other crimes against property; or political corruption, it all ultimately ends the same way for the perpetrators: Arrest, jail, trial or court, possible prison time and a criminal record that follows you the rest of your life. Crime is a losing game and those who play stand to lose more than they could ever hope to gain.
Fourth, the crime reports are intended to get people considering criminal activity to ask themselves one all-important question: Is it worth it? Is the gain you think will achieve by breaking the law worth the price in jail time, fines, public humiliation and loss of your good name you’re risking? Well is it?
It is our hope that those who read these reports will ask themselves that question and answer in such a way that they remain law-abiding members of society. If they don’t, then sooner or later you’ll be reading their names in The Union Daily Times.
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