Reply to peer JP: I was checking out our local news feed “Mass Live” and what I found interesting was when the story was about generic police work, they would use terms like “Law Enforcement” or “Officer”, when it was going to be a negative story, the headlines usually contained the word “cop”. The latest example of this is a November 11th posting about a Worcester “cop” note the lower case of the word cop – “Worcester cop Colby Turner, accused of stealing $45K, claims someone manipulated his detail records” The Officer is claiming his arrest was a retaliatory act for reporting departmental improprieties.
Since public perception is formed with sound bites and bullet points in articles, the term “cop” denotes a negative reference. Not quite as bad as “pig” which would be too obvious for the media to use. The use of this story headline affects the public’s view of the Officers guilt or innocence on the charge of larceny. The Worcester Police Department began their investigation on July 21, 2022 and by August 1st issued a warrant for the Officer for five felony counts of larceny over $1200.
Worcester Police Department indicated they are reviewing their own polices and procedures to confirm this is an isolated incident. They did not comment directly on the claims by the officer that this was a retaliatory act, but reviewing and auditing records may give light to a systemic issue.
References:
KDunlop@masslive.com, K. D. |. (2022, November 11). Worcester cop accused of stealing $45K in overtime pay claims someone manipulated his detail records. masslive. Retrieved November 14, 2022, from https://www.masslive.com/worcester/2022/11/worcester-cop-colby-turner-accused-of-stealing-45k-claims-someone-manipulated-his-detail-records.html
City of Worcester, M. A. (n.d.). Worcester Police Department. WPD Officer Placed Under Arrest After Investigation | City of Worcester, MA. Retrieved November 14, 2022, from https://www.worcesterma.gov/police/press-releases/wpd-officer-placed-under-arrest-after-investigation
Reply to peer BH: Hello Class,
The case of George Zimmerman and Trayvon Martin is a perfect example of how media can change the perception of a case, situation, etc. George Zimmerman was a neighborhood watch captain in the gated community in Florida, in which he lived. On the night of February 26th, 2012 he noticed a “suspicious person” and called 911. The 911 operator told him not to intervene however Zimmerman did and ended up shooting the individual with his gun. The individual he shot was 17-year old Trayvon Martin. The media painted the death of Trayvon as a kid being murdered by an adult, 28-year old Zimmerman. Zimmerman held that he shot Martin in self-defense and even with that and injuries showing that was still painted as a killer. Something the media did not tell the full story is why Martin was there in the gated community. He was living with his dad at the time “after receiving a ten-day suspension from Krop Senior High School. The suspension stemmed from the discovery of drug residue in Martin’s book bag” (Trayvon Martin Shooting Fast Facts, 2022). The medias perception of an innocent kid being shot affected Zimmerman and the perception everyone had of him without considering many of the facts. Yes, Zimmerman should not have taken matters into his own hands after specifically being instructed to stay put but the facts are the facts in this case and need to all be considered.
Reference:
Trayvon Martin Shooting Fast Facts. (2022, February 14). CNN. https://www.cnn.com/2013/06/05/us/trayvon-martin-shooting-fast-facts/index.html