Today’s Policing: Walking the Line and Creating a Sense of Personal Balance
A line has been drawn. It’s an old line, and one that’s been heavily discussed, routinely scrutinized, and legally reviewed, debated, and disputed. It is the line that separates the public’s right to know and an individual’s right to personal privacy. Sometimes that line seems to be big and bold. Other times, that line is a hazy grey. Whatever the shade, it is a line that is constantly present for law enforcement.
Sgt. Tom Pennington is the command officer assigned to the Village of Manchester and Lodi Township. He’s responsible for the lives and conduct of the six deputies that patrol the Village, the lives of the residents, and the mounds of paperwork that comes with those duties. Generally, there are at least two sergeants on duty at all times, but at times, he’s the only sergeant on duty for the west side of the county. He could be called out anywhere in the county at any time when a deputy requests a superior on scene. He works overtime, (as do most deputies), to cover voids in schedules. He is his own office manager and has to monitor equipment, radios, cars, station supplies and get his own mail. He reports to his lieutenant and the Sheriff, but in a sense, he is accountable not only to his superiors, but to the Village Council, and to the very community that he serves. Oh, and don’t forget, he’s a regular guy with a family life to fit in too. Somehow, he has found personal balance.
The Mirror has found that a lack of specific information is the major complaint that Village residents have with the Sheriff’s Department. The basic, salient information provided in routine press releases do not satisfy the curiosity of John Q. Public. The conflict again, is between the public’s right to know and the reality that some information should remain private. Even the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) recognizes that not all information can be shared. The Act excludes from disclosure records or information compiled for law enforcement purposes. The FOIA is meant as a watchdog measure, but unless the public would learn something directly about the workings of the Government by knowing the information, it limits the information that can be shared.
The Mirror took the opportunity to get to speak with Sgt. Pennington about walking that line between privacy and public knowledge during a ride-along with him as he patrolled the Village. We were able to ask him some questions, and listen as he explained why police situations are handled the way that they are. As a member of the media, we often contact Sgt. Pennington with questions and ask for updates on policing activities. At times he’s able to fully answer questions, other times he gives a standard, almost superficial, answer with only basic information, but he never evades a question altogether. He says that the worst thing he could do was to pretend that an event never happened. It would immediately cause distrust with the Department.
As an example, a situation recently occurred in Manchester. It involved a man who was arrested after threatening a teen with shotgun and then driving drunk with a gun in his car. This situation was covered by other news agencies, but it was not disclosed by Sgt. Pennington to the Mirror. After confronting him about this situation, he clarified that this incident was a domestic violence situation. As a general rule, he does not comment on domestic violence cases due to privacy of the victim. He reported it as a call for service, but did not highlight any details in his weekly report to the Mirror. Had he known the information was going to be shared publicly by another sergeant, he indicated that he would have discussed the case. Generally speaking, however, his experience has been that there is no benefit to the community by disclosing information regarding a domestic violence case and the privacy of the victim prevails.
This is not just a Manchester problem. The final report on the Sandy Hook killings came out this week. The New York Times quoted Reuben F. Bradford, the commissioner of the state’s Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection by saying that creating a balance between the “often competing interests of government transparency and individual privacy has been difficult” in the investigation. Even the big boys walk the line.
For better or worse, technology and social media in particular have affected law enforcement. It has blurred the line of personal privacy in police situations, but through no fault of law enforcement officers. Pennington explained that social media has let law enforcement officers “off the hook” and lessened the pressure to provide specific (and often personal) information to the public. In today’s world of technology, within minutes of seeing flashing lights outside of somebody’s house, a neighbor, friend, or curious passerby is on Facebook or Twitter asking their friends, “What’s going on at [Bubba’s] house?” This is true in Manchester as well, often utilizing the “Manchester, MI” Facebook page. Information is shared between members and eventually reaches a significant portion of the community within a relatively short amount of time. At that point, a media release from law enforcement providing the basic information is all that is needed for the public to put the pieces together to gain an understanding of a situation.
Technology isn’t the only thing that has changed over the years. His years of experience have given him knowledge in all areas of policing. Sgt. Pennington joined the Washtenaw County Sheriff Department in 1999 after spending two years with the Jackson Police Department. His first day out of the academy, you ask? His team raided a crack house 90 minutes into his first shift. It was a true trial by fire. He was told on that day, and it still stands true that “you can’t fabricate experience.” An officer develops skills through experience. There are just some things for which the academy cannot adequately prepare an officer.
Experience has been on Pennington’s side as a command officer in Manchester. Working on the west side of the county is one of more desirable positions and as such, many of the deputies that work on our side of the county have many years of experience. This is a benefit to the community too, as the nearest backup car is at least 15 minutes away at all times. Deputy Jeff Saren, for example, is scheduled to retire in March with 25 years of experience. Having deputies with experience makes Pennington’s supervisory role much easier. He explains that “with experience comes better decisions and better choices” when handling calls. His deputies are able to navigate the line. It’s less likely that he has to worry about the conduct or judgment of his deputies, though internal reviews are common. It is Sgt. Pennington’s responsibility to ensure that all calls are handled appropriately. Just like any other job, performance reviews are done periodically to assess a deputy’s performance.
When it comes to using judgment, Sgt. Pennington and his deputies have been forced to find a personal balance. Pennington says that, “It’s not what I can do; it’s what I should do.” There is a balance between complaints and the law. If he stuck to the letter of the law, “everyone would be miserable.” One example involved an illegally parked vehicle. As many of you know, with the construction downtown the parking space immediately in front of the Dairy Queen has been eliminated. There is a small space there, but not big enough to actually park a vehicle. One day, he noticed vehicle parked in the space. The vehicle had a handicapped plate. An elderly man was still sitting in the car, and his wife was at the DQ window purchasing ice cream. What he could have done is issue them a ticket. But, instead he did what he should have done, he asked them to move the vehicle as soon as possible. He recognized that there would be no real benefit to the community or his department by ticketing an elderly handicapped couple!
Left, Deputy Saren and Sgt. Pennington
So, the next time you see one of the guys around town, know that they are looking out for the best interests of the community. We are fortunate to have this great bunch of deputies in the Village: Gary Lowe, Jeff Saren, Bill Coggins, David Sexton, Ryan Stuck, and Ken Smith. Ultimately, we are forced to trust the knowledge of our deputies. We trust them to use their experience to make good decisions. We trust them to be objective. We trust them to determine truth. We trust them to walk the line and provide information as appropriate.
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