Woman Blogs About Police, Goes to Jail. Fair? Unfair?

[Whacker]

I'm going to weigh in on the side of chickie here, I don't think she did anything wrong. As Xiahou pointed out, the accused has the right to know and face their accuser in a court of law. SLEO's are public servants and deal with issues of human rights daily, ergo they can and should be held to the utmost rigorous standards of conduct and public scrutiny. This is a key form of checks and balances for power.

And "normal" journalists should have no more or less rights and privileges than you or I. Unless I'm mistaken, journalist is not defined anywhere in the Constitution. It really gets my hackles up when they start talking about themselves like they're members of some special privileged caste.

For the most part, I would agree with you. However, Lemur does have a good point as well. I am generally in favor of "Shield" type laws. Information is power, and one of the ways that is disseminated to the masses is through media outlets. The many unsavory things that might not show our government or other entities in good lights need to get out into the open. A special caste? Hell no. But should journalists have a ways and means to go about their jobs with some manners of protection in place so they can actually do it? Sure.

[Hosakawa Tito]

How many cops are attacked by the people they put in prison?

These cops deal with drug gangs and organized crime not with run of the mill small time felons. Check out how many law enforcement personnel *Mexican & US* are murdered on our southern border by drug gangs.

Ever notice when the news films a major drug arrest that any video of the task force members involved have their faces blacked out, interviews/statements have the voice distorted, to protect their identities? It's pretty obvious why, right?

Did she post this with the intent to endanger their lives? Probably not. From the little bit of info we have it appears her vendetta is personal, love relationship gone bad maybe?

reported that she had tipped off a local newspaper about their movements.

Right there she's attempting to interfere with an ongoing investigation that at best could scotch weeks/months of police work, and at worst get somebody hurt or killed. For what, because somebody dumped her?

So, let's turn it around. One of these cops does to her what she is accused of doing. Should the cop be arrested? The correct answer is yes.

[Husar]

Well, to me it looks a lot like stalking and besides, here you cannot publish pictures of a single person without their permission, I think it needs at least 3 or more people to be considered a group photo or it has to be a person of public interest, like a movie star or politician. Posting dozens of pictures of policemen, possibly their families etc. sounds like stalking and/or invasion of privacy to me.
Would you think it's fine if some guy kept following your wife around and publishing pictures of her on his blog, Xiahou?

[rory_20_uk]

All the info is in public view. If people abuse the police numbers that is the fault of the individual - not the person who posted it, nor the server that hosted the web page, nor the telephone company that connected the call.

If the police aren't managing to be under cover perhaps they aren't doing agreat job in the first place. Telling journos a fact isn't tipping the suspects off.

[Kralizec]

I imagine that it's hard to go undercover if every move you make is being watched and reported by an embittered banshee.
But that point is neither here nor there, since she's not being prosecuted for hindering police operations. I think it's pretty clear that what she did is illegal according to the statute I just cited.

[naut]

Wouldn't jailing her give more coverage to her blog? Maybe that's her angle?

[Fragony]

'Predictably, this annoyed law enforcement officials, who, it's fair to guess, comprised much of her readership before her arrest. But what seems to have sent them over the edge -- and skewed their judgment -- is Ms. Strom's decision to post the name and address of one of the officers with a street-view photo of his house.'

Extremely irresponsible, that is no longer harrasment that is endangering the life of this man and his family, he will probably have to move.

[Cute Wolf]

Pretty unfair.....

Considering much what I saw in FB......... abouy... oopsss

Seriously.... Saying something in the internet is somewhat ridiculous IF you are threatened by the law.... because more men outta here write more things more henious and disturbing.... and still free.....