Apparently NFL players who abuse their wives or girlfriends should move to Massachusetts if they want a better chance keeping their horrific behavior secret.
On August 30 a young lady was assaulted after midnight Saturday on Hobart Lane, located just off the UMass campus, a street predominantly populated by UMass students.
She walked into the UMass Police Station with her brother to report the incident and they contacted Amherst Police who have jurisdiction.
No arrest was made, and that's pretty much the end of the story.
Two weeks ago, however, APD did arrest two individuals for domestic violence, and one of them even assaulted a police officer causing physical injury. But apparently our taxpayer funded police can't ever release their names.
Every reputable journalist I know (and I know a lot) routinely redacts victims names, or even details that could lead to exposing their identity.
By making it harder to expose the (alleged) perpetrators of these despicable acts, we only encourage their continuation.
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21 comments:
It's a tough call Larry. The DV is a system with many holes, unfair laws, and abuse within it's own ranks. For the courts it is BIG business mostly funded by the federal government and states do not want to lose that money.
Most believe absolute anonymity is best for both parties involved as DV is much more complicated scenario than simply a man or woman physically or psychologically abusing their partner a few times.
Outing a perpetrator is not going to shame that person into stopping as DV is more a deep seated condition. It is the equivalent of printing the names of a drunk, hooker, or a John. It will not stop deep-seated behavior, nor deter it.
"...a young lady was assaulted after midnight Saturday on Hobart Lane, she walked into the UMass Police Station with her brother to report the incident and they contacted Amherst Police who have jurisdiction.
No arrest was made, and that's pretty much the end of the story."
This is a report of assault, not a case of domestic violence.
I think date rape or sexual assault is considered "domestic violence".
And since we have few details to go on, hard to tell how to categorize this.
Which is kind of my point.
You said a female reported assault on Hobart Lane. Was she on a date? Was she raped? More detail to what occurred might be in order for the reader. Should there have been an arrest? Would the fact that no arrest was made seem odd, or is there is substance to her story and a named perpetrator? Seems the police did not find cause based on what you state.
Just saying that the perpetuation that most all violence in relationships is always male on female is deeply entrench in our society but very false. To include this story of an assault with little detail in a story that is titled "Domestic Violence" only perpetuates myths and further obscures the truth about domestic violence.
Domestic violence is a huge business for state courts that is funded by the federal government so simply releasing names is not going to happen anytime soon.
I tried to get more details of the incident for my readers but hit a solid brick wall.
The Mass Newspapers Publishers Association is concerned because now incidents like that will never see ANY light of day.
While I have no concerns about the Amherst Police Department, I do worry about smaller departments with not as much training.
How do citizens know if their local PD is handling these kinds of cases properly if no charges are brought and no details are ever released?
Domestic violence is physical, sexual, verbal, or emotional abuse between present or former intimate partners or family members. Domestic violence can occur between domestic partners, parents and children, siblings, or extended family members.
Date rape, which you do not imply here, only that a female was assaulted, is not considered domestic violence on its own.
And how do we know that if arrests are made, and a story is published that the police ARE doing the right thing. Some states have laws related to domestic violence that says one of the two parties in a DV incident MUST be arrested regardless of evidence. Massachusetts does NOT have such a law but police officers in this state are routinely told they must arrest one of the two parties, and do just that, even in the town of Amherst. That is violation of a persons constitutional rights but it happens in Mass every day.
If you really wanted to open up a can of worms and see the world come down on you, try doing a story on domestic violence and the court system in this country. Some have tried, many of them wen tot jail for all sorts of nonsense or were so scared by what happened to them once they started peeling back the layers that they gave up.
But you're not bound by any obligation to withhold that information, correct, Larry?
Larry,
Whats the story with the APD officers, that were injured last nite?
http://www.amherstma.gov/civicalerts.aspx?AID=1430
Thanks,
Do you suppose the TM, will have to do something now?
Let's hope.
I'm still thinking about that one.
Cops need to protect their sources the same as journos.
It's an interesting ethics case both for the Globe -- who did not name the deceased major player in the story -- and for UMPD who did not disclose his original arrest to his parents.
Of course the "age of consent" in Massachusetts is only 16, so UMPD had no legal requirement to inform the parents.
Have you ever turned someone into a rat in exchange for not printing a story about them?
No, but I've probably gone easier on some heavy hitters in order to not totally alienate them.
Isn't a "source" typically someone who comes forward with information on their own volition, versus the motivations an "informant" acts under?
I assume if a journo squeezed someone for information that would be prosecutable as extortion or blackmail.
Truth is the ultimate defense for a whole variety of charges.
The Davis Report, this domestic assault expose, squeezing a young addict and then leaving him out to dry ...... this year seems to be turning into the kind of year the schools had last year. Except the screamers have not called for any chieftain's heads, like they do when a school locks its classroom doors when a kid has a medical issue in the hallway.
I have long said that some serious questions need to be asked about the UMPD.
And if UMass tells parents about kids being caught with a beer by a RA (and they do) then you'd think a heroin Arrest would be worthy of note...
He was not arrested for heroin.
Larry, there is absolutely no way that the Assessment Care Team (ACT) wasn't involved in this.
ACT is how the UMPD would know he didn't have a mental health history. ACT is how the dealer he informed on could be immediately suspended. ACT would have discussed his death -- and it would have been a decision NOT to suspend the dealer.
There is potential criminal liability on the part of certain administrators here.
Larry, I know that cesspool better than you do -- it so badly needs a Federal Grand Jury to do some housecleaning.
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