10 Responses to “Deputies Arrest 31 During Two Month Undercover Operation”

1. Concerned Adult on August 12th, 2009 8:18 pm

   No one likes to see their picture plastered on the news, but if you commit a crime, you need to be ready for the consequences. Lord knows I have had to live through some moments that brought me pain. I survived and did not blame the press, because that was their job to report the news. I don’t think William is picking on any one person with what he prints. I think he is a good person, and had rather not have to plaster your picture and your crime on his news.
   Thanks to a good sheriff, he is making a difference little by little in our community. I have lived in this area a long long time and waited for this moment of someone caring about us on the north end

2. NN on August 12th, 2009 1:15 pm

   Keep doing what you do, William. I believe you are honest, fair, and realistic in your reporting.
   Thinker, who cares if you were a former Army Information Specialist. That is relevant…how?

3. A. Davis on August 11th, 2009 9:48 pm

   I am so glad we a great sheriff that is trying. But we still need help at the other end of the county. I wish he would do somthing in BEULAH people are so tired of drugs. Crack is out of control. It want be hard everyone knows where to get the crack, meth, and any pill you could think of. Please most of the officers know what trailer park is doing it. They don’t even want to respond to it. But who could blame them. The bad part is that so many children are using and selling for grown ups its real and now its out for everyone to know.

4. kc on August 11th, 2009 11:34 am

   To Thinker:
   I do not think the newspaper did anything inappropriate by posting the pictures. Arrest records and arrest photos are a public record. Nothing wrong with reporting public information. If you don’t want you photo in the paper, you should stay out of trouble and not break the law.
   I wish more papers reported stories like this because maybe it would reduce the drug-related crimes just by the embarrasment. Unfortunately, the justice system is a revolving door for these types of crimes.

5. William on August 11th, 2009 11:23 am

   I’ll respond to Thinker — when NorthEscambia.com runs a story about a local arrest, we make every effort to follow the case. At the conclusion, we’ll run a story that the person was found guilty, not guilty, charges dropped etc.

   Look at the other big story on the front page — It took hours to pull the records on all 19 people and update the status of the cases. If you look at that story, you’ll find some have been adjudicated, some have not showed up for court at all. You won’t find that kind of reporting in any other media, and if you see the list where those 19 people’s cases are in the that area weekly newspaper, they flat out stole it from us.

   Now…all that said…will we tell you what happens to the 31 people in this story? Nope, we won’t. It’s time and economics. It took just a matter of minutes for us and every other media to take the info from the sheriff’s department and turn it into this story. No one will ever issued a press release on any of these 31 people again, unless one is convicted of something really big and is a feather in the cap of the prosecutor.

   NorthEscambia.com won’t follow up on these people either. With a staff of one person, I won’t devote probably half to an entire day pulling the records on all of these people in a Pensacola case like I did the 19 local people in other other story. My time and effort must be focused on the local stories.

   “Unbalance, sensational reporting is the fashion of the day, with news being reduced to entertainment.” — I won’t disagree overall. But if you get arrested for a newsworthy crime that happens in North Escambia, or if you are from North Escambia, expect to see your smilin’ face in a story. But unlike most other media, expect to see your smilin’ face again when you are found are guilty and when you are sentenced. But, and here’s where I disagree with “unbalance sensational reporting” part — we are going to tell folks when the case is dropped or you are found not guilty.

6. Thinker on August 11th, 2009 10:23 am

   Did anyone notice that these people are being tried and sentenced in the public’s eye by having their pictures and names in the papers? Is anyone innocent until proven guilty? I realize being busted for drugs is often an open and shut deal because of evidence found, etc., but even so…
   Somebody famous recently mentioned that you get your picture in the paper on the front page when you’re charged but on the last page, if at all, if you’re found innocent. Can we have really responsible journalism in this respect please?Peoples lives and reputations are at stake.
   An example that got my goat this morning was about those people left on the tarmac all night inside a plane that got diverted because of bad weather. The media interviewed the passengers but I haven’t heard anyone from the airlines interviewed yet about conflicts in regulations or whatever that made this happen? Unbalance, sensational reporting is the fashion of the day, with news being reduced to entertainment. Our democracy won’t last long if this keeps up. Don’t get me wrong, as a former Army Information Specialist, I admire NorthEscambia.com for their energetic reporting. Let’s just be fair when all is said and done.

7. Brenda on August 10th, 2009 10:57 pm

   Sheriff Morgan is doing a FANTASTIC job in my opinion!!!

8. interested reader on August 10th, 2009 9:21 pm

   KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK! We may have to build a bigger jail if this keeps up. Everyone that is taken off the street is one less we have to be worried about. It’s scary, thinking about all the crime in our little part of the state. Too bad it took the voters sooo long to get a REAL SHERIFF!

9. Shakingmyhead on August 10th, 2009 9:01 pm

   Good job.

10. Amber Bush on August 10th, 2009 4:01 pm

    Wow!!!