Reader Feedback: Releasing Arrestees' Names

After last week's sparked a conversation on Facebook between readers over whether releasing the names of those arrested by the police deparment was right, we wanted to know what you thought.

We asked in our poll, "Should the police or news outlets release the names, area of residence and crime of alleged criminals?"  66 percent voted in favor of the first option, "Absolutely – evidence is needed for an arrest and I want to know exactly who did what in my neighborhood." 18 percent of voters favored the opposite opinion, "Absolutely not – Displaying names and crimes without a conviction is wrong and embarrassing for those people."

Comments flooded our Facebook and comments section here on Babylon Village Patch once again, many agreeing with the idea of not releasing the arrestee's names and crimes.

John Buschi wrote, "Innocent until proven guilty. Let the justice system do what it is there to do, then release the names."

Bill Costanzo noted that the Internet, in general, allows for little to no privacy. "Forget having you name on some blog when your arrested, you have to hope the video of the act itself wasn't caught on camera and posted on YouTube. The job of editor is to decide what is appropriate and what is not. Is what you are posting really newsworthy or just filler?"

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Patricia DiGaudio Tomeo wrote "ALLEGED! Is it fair to ruin someone's life, and put their family through such torment before the 'alleged criminal' has had due process? Doesn't the 5th Amendment protect us against that? How often does the media retract an accusation or follow up on such stories to correct the wrong?"

Patch commenter Check Carla also noted, "There is always the off chance that someone is innocent and once their name is out there for all to see, it's very difficult for them to un-do the damage caused."

She also added, "However, the flip side to that is why was their name involved in said alleged crime in the first place? Wrong place at the wrong time? I don't see anything wrong with police or news reporting what happens in an area so citizens can be on alert / aware of what's going on, but I'm not sure releasing names until the person is proven as guilty is neccessary."

Donna Jean said police blotters are common across the country in local nad national news. "Personally, I like knowing what is going on in my community. No one is saying that they are guilty. They're just saying what they have been arrested for. "