What do you think of the following media release?

Link’s no good.

I fixed it @janbb

It sounds like the standard thank you from one law enforcement office to the people who helped, why do you ask?

@YARNLADY I think there is something interesting there I hope I’m not just seeing things.

@flo can you share what you are finding interesting. Aside from the horrific nature of the crime and the age of the perpetrator, it looks like a run of the mill press release.

@SuperMouse I will, I’ll give more people a chance to answer.

Not seeing anything that stands out.

He is not the murderer yet, right? he is “the suspect”.

@flo Yes, that struck me too. They didn’t say “alleged” or “suspect.”

I’m not saying this kid confessed, because I don’t know anything about this story. But I’m wondering if someone does confess, do they call them “the murderer” or “the alleged murderer”?

The news media says, “alleged” or suspect, @flo and @janbb, not law enforcement. If they arrest you, they arrest you on facts, in their mind, with evidence you are the perp. A reporter is supposed to be neutral. The police are suppose to be confident they have the right suspect. The judicial system decides if that is correct.

The whole innocent until proven guilty thing refers to a legal definition, not the fact that a person has committed a crime.

Law enforcement doesn’t go only by a confessions because innocent people have confessed in the past and served a long time in prison. I think way back they used to take confessions as facts, Im not sure.

A private conversation between two individuals who would hear so it doesn’t matter, but whoever is addressing the subject, esp. media, law enforcement, until the person is convicted they have to use the “alleged” in there.

-Do you think someone has noticed and corrected it yet? I wonder if anyone has used the phone number or email to notify them, because the link doesn’t seem to be working

-Do media releases get looked at by the lawyer or something first? I am amazed to see this from a police department.

The police don’t have to use alleged. They are not alleging, they are saying he did it, that’s why they arrested him.

This is from the Sheriff’s office, not from a reporter, and it is word for word what the Sheriff said at a press conference (which I saw on TV).

@flo You seem to be in disbelief that this kid killed his sister. But his whole story was falling apart. The supposed sighting of someone that “looked like the murderer” was found to be completely bogus.

I would think that the police should consider someone innocent until proven guilty in a court of law as well.
This is so sad to me. I hope he’s guilty because if he’s not they’ve ruined his life.
On the news they were saying that he had been suspended for bringing a pocket knife to school. I know that post columbine ANY knife is a no no at school, but a pocket knife shouldn’t brand someone as criminal.

@Judi If the police consider someone innocent until proven guilty they would never arrest anyone. Our criminal justice system is adversarial, that’s why we have prosecutors and defenders.

The system should not make an assumption of guilt until a jury says so. They can prove to their hearts content but until they have a conviction it’s a suspect. It’s what makes America unique. (And great.)

Eh…I guess that’s why the report ends with; you got questions? Too bad, bitches. :/

@zenvelo I have no reason to believe or disbelieve that he did it. If it is because of my earlier OP, I was asking if it make sense to charge any (I used the word a not the)12 year old with murder not just this one. The detail part was about the lack of detail as to why they think he did it. I’m used to seeing detail.

-How many times has DNA proven that law enforcement got it wrong? And the police know they could end up being proven wrong so I don’t see how they can act like it is a fact that he/she/they is guilty of any given crime.

-“and it is word for word what the Sheriff said at a press conference (which I saw on TV).”
He got it wrong then too, I guess.

@flo He got it wrong then too, I guess.

What is wrong? It’s a statement that they arrested the boy for murder.

@zenvelo no, it is a statement that “he is the murderer” otherwise they would state that they have arrested him for murder.
It must have been an error.

@flo, the police believe he is the murderer. That is why they arrested him. To them, they are going to prove he is guilty.

@bkcunningham @zenvelo you must be pulling my leg.

No. Do you think the arrest people they think are innocent?

@flo He is the murderer, to the police. No error there. Why do you disagree with what the Sheriff said?

I hope I’m not missing your point, @flo. If I am, please, don’t think that I’m being daft. Explain it to me if you would please.

Shouldn’t the police just declare to the public that they have arrested the guilty party, instead of stating that they have arrested the person they believe is guilty?

Something else just occurred to me. There is another big error in the press release that just occurred to me. The writer did not know how to properly use quotation marks.

@flo, the release quoted the Sheriff as saying they have arrested the murderer.

@bkcunningham so, (edited: your post before the last) says “Explain it to me if you would please.”
does that mean I managed to explain it that the sheriff’s press release essentially says:
“The police know better than the courts, we don’t need the courts”?

I see the quotation marks it at the beginning of the sheriffs statement and at the end too, so why is it not proper? I’ll defer to you in this area.

Do you mean each paragraph should be in quotation marks @bkcunningham?

There are several rules for quotation marks on multiply paragraphs from one speaker. But, yes, the beginning of each paragraph should have the quotation marks, @flo.

Of course that would makse sense, I don’t know where my head was.

What would be the alternative to the police being confident that they have the killer, @flo? I do understand that you are saying they should give the courts a chance to perhaps find a flaw in their investigation and let the courts role in our judicial system play out. I think the press release reflects the personality of the sheriff in this case. I’ve known police officials who wouldn’t comment on the record about any investigation. Period. End of story. I’ve know police officials like this gentleman who put out press releases when someone in the office sneezed.

It helps with grants when they can compile press releases in their grant packets seeking state and federal funds. It is like saying, “Oh, look at all the work we’ve been doing. Help fund us.”

@bkcunningham to quote you: “Something else just occurred to me. There is another big error in the press release that just occurred to me.”
So you did get it. “another big error”, i.e, other than calling him “the murderer”.

You are tricky and it is fun to banter with you. You keep me on my toes, @flo.

@flo Calling the boy “the murderer” is NOT an error. This was a press conferences, not a trial or a hearing. Why do you insist on your view as the only right way? He is a Sheriff in a town that was scared shitless, and he got the murderer, and people can sleep more easily at night.

I could’ve just pointed at @YARNLADY‘s answer @Judi‘s answer, and @janbb‘s answer.

@bkcunningham alright then.

@zenvelo excuses excuses.