Wondering How and Why We Report Police Items?

Today is Monday, March 28. Here are five things you need to know today.

1. Last week I fielded an angry call from a local person about a police report on Patch. She wanted to know why I listed her friend’s name (he was arrested) on the site, where I’d gotten the information – and why Patch chooses to publish names, whereas the Bridge does not. In case anyone else has been wondering about this information, I thought I’d offer a public explanation.

Here’s how we report police log items: Once or twice a week I visit headquarters on Tremont Street, by Ruggles station. I go to the “reports” window and ask to see the log items for District A-15 – this covers the whole neighborhood. (This is all public info and anyone could do the same thing.) The clerk gives me a print-out of the log items. They include everything: arrests, break-ins, accidents, towed cars, vandalism. They also include the names and specific charges of those arrested. For example, John Smith, of Everett, was charged with possession of a Class B substance (cocaine).

If there is an item that looks like it warrants more details – let’s say an assault and battery on a police officer – I will request a copy of that full report. The clerk at the police station will print it out and redact details (victims and witnesses names, mostly) before handing them to me. What I write and publish on the site comes directly from those logs and reports, which is why all information is attributed to the police.

Why does Patch choose to publish the names and details? For a few reasons. One is that this is the standard practice at most media outlets. The names and details are part of the full public record. I understand the reality of this is tricky. If your child’s teacher was charged with drug possession, would you want to know? Probably. If your boyfriend was arrested for drunken driving, would you want your neighbors to know? Probably not.

I don’t know why the Bridge chooses not to report names – you’d have to ask them – but I can tell you that it is unusual that they choose not to. I can also tell you that what they publish each week is submitted by community police officers from District A-15. I know because they are kind enough to send the same report to Patch.

The other important reason why I publish the full record – names and details included – is to keep a sort of checks and balances system on the police. If they are arresting someone and charging them wrongfully, people need to know. Shedding light on police activity is, in my view, just as important as shedding light on criminal activity.

If you have any questions about this, please don’t hesitate to ask me in the comments of this column, or in an email: kristi.ceccarossi@patch.com. It's important to me that this is a transparent process and that any concerns from the community are addressed.

2. Let’s face it. We could all use a little more art in our lives. Especially after reading that last item. The Artists’ Group of Charlestown is here to help. Tonight the group is hosting the first in a three-part lecture series on the – for free, at the Charlestown branch library. Everyone is welcome to attend. The lecture starts at 7 p.m. (Parts two and three are scheduled for April 4 and April 11.) For more info, you can email agc523@gmail.com.

3. If you live in Boston and plan to go to college, you may be eligible to apply for the City of Boston scholarship. Deadline is April 1.

4. And if you’re a young person who wants to get involved in the community, the mayor is looking for candidates for his Youth Council. There’s an information session on March 30 from 5 to 7 p.m. at room 801 in City Hall. The application for the Youth Council is April 15. For details visit: www.bostonyouthzone.com/myc.

5. Today’s forecast: High near 39, cloudy and breezy.

For more info on what's happening around the community, check out our events calendar.