Baltimore Metro Rogues Gallery: Aug. 27-31

Eastsider September 2, 2012 at 12:58 pm

@Funnyguy or anyone against hard time have you or any of your family ever been a victim of a violent crime? Criminals are scum they should lose all rights until they have finished out their sentence for the crime they committed. They should have to work for food and privileges if they refuse to work they stay in their cell 23 hours a day in seclusion and get the minimum food to survive. There should be no time off for good behavior only extra time added if you’re a bad. The only thing I may give into is if a long term prisoner is at the end of his/her sentence then we would get them ready to return to society.

Bryan P. Sears (Editor) September 2, 2012 at 12:59 pm

The article takes no position on the guilt or innocence of anyone pictured. All photos were featured in stories written about arrests made over the last week or so. The use of the photos is no different legally than using a incident summaries and other official records to report on crimes and arrests.

Buck Harmon September 2, 2012 at 01:04 pm

Yea, but the perceived stigma of guilt remains....and potentially damages as a result of walking the line of the law in this case Bryan..

Bryan P. Sears (Editor) September 2, 2012 at 01:07 pm

Buck: Are you arguing to never report an arrest or publish a mugshot photo because "the internet is forever?"

Buck Harmon September 2, 2012 at 01:08 pm

Tom Kiefaber in this case....trespassing..?? trial by trash government and media....the proverbial gang bang..

John Cole September 2, 2012 at 01:29 pm

Bryan:
This a recent problem, and has never been considered. The reporting of arrests in the press is a long tradition, and I have no problem with that. Newspapers, by definition, have very short value. However, the internet is a different matter. There is no method to redact or retract the report of an arrest where the person is later found not guilty. There may not be any further reporting on the case if the accused is not guilty, as it is not newsworthy. Consequently, there may exist a report on he arrest of an innocent man, and a search only reveals the arrest, leading people to assume guilt.

Buck Harmon September 2, 2012 at 02:03 pm

Perhaps if news being put out through a blog forum such as Patch were to require that poster's identify themselves with a real name that could then hold the poster to a degree of accountability it would be a little more digestible, but with the wrath of no name poster's being allowed to make almost any accusation with 0 accountability for what being posted....in many cases insult is added to injury as well. Not a good , or ethically correct stand for Patch to take.

Danielle September 2, 2012 at 03:23 pm

This is not right! freedom of press is going to far in this country, yes it is a giving right but posting mug shots of people before they are convicted is wrong. I have known several people wrongly charged with a crime and then all charges dropped but the person/persons whom made these charges are not blasted with their photos.Same goes for the MD court case online, So many company's find this a free way to do a backround check but yet it is used against you because it is all posted before being found guilty or not in court. It is also a way for stalkers to find your address which is why I fear to file child support for my children due to the fact he can find my information online and anyone who searches my name on the system will know where I live, my childrens names, and the name of their father. As working as a office manager I have seen depts base hiring on these results and use this information to assume a persons character. They may assume if you are filing divorce you can not maintain a relationship, if you are in a car accident you are not responsible, if you have a tax lien you may steal from the company, and if you are filing child support they feel you will take too much time from work for your children. This system really needs to be changed to protect people of their rights and not to label them

Bryan P. Sears (Editor) September 2, 2012 at 03:25 pm

John: Understood and it's an issue all media (TV, newspapers, radio and online news sites) wrestle with. There is no such thing as short-term value as you suggested with newspapers. Almost post everything that makes it to the paper is posted online.

Eastsider September 2, 2012 at 03:47 pm

Really Danielle,
If you don't want your face or your actions on TV, websites, newspapers or any other type of media outlets stay out of trouble. I think it’s great that we can see public information on people at a click of a mouse.

John T. September 2, 2012 at 06:13 pm

Funnyguy. By American standards, we forgive and give people a second chance. But what we have happeneing here is that the same people are committing crimes over and over again. At what point are these people made to be held responsible for their bad choices? At present, the public bears all of the costs of these people and their behavior. If I didn't know better, I would suspect you are a defense attorney. That would explain your side of it.

John T. September 2, 2012 at 06:27 pm

I have no problem with the public having this information available- conveniently too. Of course, I am a law abiding citizen and excercise self control. I find the internet is an excellent tool to check to see what violent sex offenders are living nearby - the ones that have "done their time" - and can pose a threat to my wife and children. Surprisingly, there are a lot of them concentrated around the unsuspecting public. If you don't want your mug out for all to see, then don't commit crimes. As far as the fine gentleman whose mugshot was on patch, if you do some looking, you'll see this aint his first rodeo.

John T. September 2, 2012 at 06:30 pm

Danielle. I think you care more than the dude who's mugshot it is. Don't commit crimes and this is not an issue. The least they could have done is have him comb his hair for the picture.

John Cole September 2, 2012 at 06:38 pm

Bryan:
I think you are underlining what I said. There was a time, 20 years ago, when print media had a short life, and we all wondered what the www was at the bottom of TV advertisments. The Maryland Judicial website states if a case has been dropped or vacated, or if the accused is found not guilty. There is no mileage in reporting this this for the ink or on-line media, unless the defendant is someone of interest, so the defendant appears to stand accused even after acquittal. Consequently, searching someone's name on the Internet will show the negative aspects, but not the positive aspects. It is the advent of the internet and search ability that has caused this problem. It is, I believe, a problem waiting for a solution.

Bryan P. Sears (Editor) September 2, 2012 at 06:58 pm

John Cole: So again I point out that it appears that the natural extension of your argument is to never report on any arrest that names a charged suspect because it will appear as a "negative" in an internet search.

Buck Harmon September 2, 2012 at 09:44 pm

Bryan, Why did you not comment on the problem with fake name posters as well?

Buck Harmon September 2, 2012 at 09:47 pm

John T. What about the human beings that have been arrested by mistake, or have been found innocent of the charges. That would mean that they've done nothing wrong but have been smeared and the report and photo live on forever for them to have to deal with...is that ok with you?

Buck Harmon September 2, 2012 at 09:50 pm

Danielle, I believe that your thoughts are right on the money with this one. Too many Quick Draw McGraw reporting techniques being used today....shoot first~ then aim..

Bryan P. Sears (Editor) September 2, 2012 at 10:09 pm

Buck: There is no ethical issue for Patch when a user declines to use his or her real name. Patch encourages users to use their own names rather than a pseudonym but it is not required.
Commenters are required to adhere to other terms of use including not posting false or misleading information. Patch local editors try to monitor the comments on stories and also allows readers to identify specific comments of concern by both flagging the comment in question and emailing the reporter or site editors directly to report a problem. Local editors and management (myself included) routinely remove comments and explained the reason for their deletion.

John T. September 2, 2012 at 10:16 pm

Buck. I appreciate your opinion, but frankly, for every innocent person that gets his mugshot broadcasted, I would say is minutely small compared to guys like the one who's mugshot we're talking about who know the system inside and out. Also, there are games played within our legal system where they may be found not guilty, but are guilty as sin. Again, this guy with the mugshot we're talking about has been around the legal system a time or two.

Bryan P. Sears (Editor) September 2, 2012 at 10:48 pm

Buck: I'll go back to my original point. All of the mugshots in this story were part of stories about these individuals being arrested and charged.
Remove the photos. The alleged perpetrators of the crimes and their charges and their hundred block address remain—information that all of the media have used for a long, long time. How would your standard apply to something like this: http://essex.patch.com/articles/catonsville-man-charged-in-saturday-stabbing

Joe September 2, 2012 at 11:38 pm

These names and faces will be long gone from our memory in a few months anyway, just as the newspapers "have very short value."
Unless of course you are close to one of the cases.

Joe September 2, 2012 at 11:40 pm

Will anyone here really remember any of these people in 6 months? Will you wake up and say, hmm, wonder what happened to.....
Nahh.

Joe September 2, 2012 at 11:42 pm

I see it as only reporting the public record as long as no editorial commentary by The
Patch is involved. They offer the disclosure "and remember, an arrest does not indicate a conviction"

Parkvillehoney September 3, 2012 at 01:13 am

Danielle, the majority of the profiled persons have some past dealings with the court system due to their behavior. I agree with Eastsider. If you don't participate in an action that gets you arrested, you will have no problem. I also think it is great to have public information so I can protect myself and my family.

Zoobie September 3, 2012 at 07:28 am

They released Barabas, didn't they?

Kareem N Mikoffee September 3, 2012 at 10:15 pm

I know this is the Baltimore rogues gallery, but at the Havre de Grace patch hardly a month goes by without a story trumpeting the great works and deeds of the convicted town child molester. You all should see how our town molester skips around selling his snow cones to kids. The Patch in HdeG's case promote him in a most positive light but have no problem prominently displaying the mug shots of unconvicted suspects.

John Cole September 4, 2012 at 01:57 am

@Kareem N Mikoffee
For goodness sakes! The offences you refer to are about 30 years old! Factually, the Patch has reported several negative items about this person, but there have NEVER been any further allegations or convictions. It's time to move on; find another kebab to spear!

Coco September 6, 2012 at 03:50 am

I my option they talk about over crowded jails , I feel these people on death row for killing people should be sentenced to death there self maybe the jails wouldn't be over crowded . and murders wouldn't be as bad if they know they are going to die , and not live in prison all thier lives, once they are sentence for murder , they should be sent ace to death right away and all this would stop.

John T. September 6, 2012 at 11:15 am

I agree. But they should get 1 speedy apeal then, if convicted a 2nd time they should be sent to the death chamber, but the appeals process has gotten so screwed up that these people have become a meal ticket for the lawyers that represent them. While these people sit in prison, their lawyer(s) keep racking up a bill. The ironic thing is the victims family pays an emotional cost and the public pays the bill for these animals the entire time.