The interests of law enforcement and that of the media are not always the same, but in some cases, collaboration between the two is a matter of public safety.
Such was the case Tuesday evening, when two inmates escaped from the Lowndes County Adult Detention Center. One of the inmates was quickly recaptured. The other, who was still at large as of Wednesday, is a man who was being held in connection with a 2020 murder.
The Dispatch reached out by phone and text to Sheriff Eddie Hawkins just before 9 p.m. Tuesday regarding the escape and sent a text to Chief Deputy Brent Swan just after 9. Neither responded.
It wasn’t until 12:40 a.m. Wednesday that the Sheriff’s Department acknowledged the escape via a post on its Facebook Page. According to that post, Brooks and the other inmate escaped around 8 p.m., which means Brooks was on the loose without the public’s knowledge for nearly five hours.
Had either Hawkins or Swan responded to The Dispatch at the time they were first contacted, the public would have been given some warning within about an hour of the escape.
Could that time have made a difference? It is reasonable to believe it could.
Until Brooks has been recaptured we won’t know the full implications of waiting almost five hours before any effort to alert the public was made. Naturally, we hope the delay put no one in harm’s way.
The incident illustrates one of the dangers of a growing trend we see among local governments and law enforcement agencies.
The rise of social media allows public bodies to essentially act as their own media sources.
Most often, this takes the form of city hall or a law enforcement agency posting a press release on its Facebook or X/Twitter account.
There’s absolutely nothing wrong with this; it serves as a great way for the government to stay connected with the citizens it serves.
Those releases shouldn’t negate a public body’s obligation to work with local media, though. When that happens, the public good suffers.
Generally, The Dispatch’s relationship with law enforcement is a healthy one. Our role — along with other local media — as a liaison between law enforcement and citizens is important. Media can help spread important news quickly, can provide context and — when necessary — can challenge law enforcement.
There is sometimes a gap between what information law enforcement agencies would prefer the public to know and what the public actually has a reasonable right to know in a timely fashion. When law enforcement makes that decision unilaterally, public interest can suffer.
What we do know in this case is that for almost five hours a man the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Department has described as dangerous was at large without any attempt to alert citizens, even when The Dispatch made the effort to share that information with citizens within an hour of the escape.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 35 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
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