The media can be a powerful tool for law enforcement. It's important for police and the local media to have a good working relationship.

But it can be difficult to balance the public’s right to know with a crime victim’s rights to privacy and the detective’s need for secrecy to progress an investigation. Whenever a police spokesperson makes a statement to the media, that officer is walking a tightrope.

Ann Arbor Police Chief Barnett Jones, left, (retired) Det. Sgt. Rich Kinsey, center, and (retired) Lt. Mike Logghe, answer questions during a press conference after a homicide in 2008.

File photo

There are some in law enforcement who would rather not ever deal with the media. That view is unenlightened and does not help solve crimes. It is also a lost opportunity to educate the public and perhaps prevent future crimes.

When the police make statements about crimes, they're constrained by many factors. The best press release about an incident will inform the public, generate a new tip that solves the case, and it won’t educate criminals. This sounds easy enough, but it can be very difficult.

For instance, when an article says, “The thieves escaped with an undisclosed amount of cash,” this is done to protect the business that was just robbed so some other enterprising thieves don’t get the bright idea to rob the same business. 

It's the standard answer in bank robberies. After some bank robberies, I would have preferred to disclose the amount of cash because many times the take was rather small. Banks have been getting robbed for a century and a half and have learned over the years how to protect their money.

Another favorite cop line given to the media is, “That is still under investigation.” It can be used in lieu of “no comment,” which sounds like the police have something to hide. The statement can also mean the spokesperson was not briefed on that aspect of the case and hasn’t the foggiest notion. Of course, it also might mean the police are truly still investigating that aspect of the case.

When police ask for the public’s assistance in locating or identifying a subject, it means they're coming to some dead ends in the investigation and truly need the public’s help to solve the case. 

In every major case, police operate on the assumption that someone saw something or someone who hasn’t come forward yet knows something that could solve the case. It was incredible to me how many times we finally got a lead about someone who might have seen something, and when interviewed, that witness said, “Yeah…. I was wondering when you’d be out to talk to me.” 

I’m not sure whether these people think police are clairvoyant, but they certainly waste a lot of time and resources by being lazy or less than blessed in properly functioning gray matter.

Please don’t be that person. If you have information about a crime, call your local police with the information. In Ann Arbor, you can contact the Ann Arbor Police Department's anonymous tip line at 734-996-3199 or e-mail TIPS@a2gov.org.

LOCK IT UP, DON’T LEAVE IT UNATTENDED, BE AWARE AND WATCH OUT FOR YOUR NEIGHBORS.

Rich Kinsey is a retired Ann Arbor police detective sergeant who now blogs about crime and safety for AnnArbor.com.