'Deputy Bob knows I had his back'

Would you have helped make an arrest? Not me. It's our job to report the news, not make it.

http://www.thesuntimes.com/articles/2007/05/23/news/news14.txt

Louis Short: Bob knows I had his back

Man, who turned on the heat? I am really getting scorched over not helping Deputy Bob Sherrill Monday at the brawl outside the courthouse. My ears have been burning for two days! Boy, have I really taken some criticism online for this.

For those of you who don’t know what happened, a police officer needed help at the courthouse. The dispatcher came across the police radio and advised all officers there was a scuffle involving an inmate and an officer behind the courthouse. The first thing I did was grab a camera and run to the courthouse. That is my job after all; it is what I am paid to do.

I know that I would have helped Bob if there had been a need. However, there was already someone holding the suspect from behind. The hero-citizen and the deputy had the prisoner up against a car and Bob had his gun drawn. To me it looked like everything was under control at that point. The man wasn’t struggling and I heard sirens coming from nearby.

If I had been there five minutes prior to this happening, when the incident wasn’t under control, you bet I would’ve jumped in and helped. If I had been there while 20 or so others were just watching, as Bob said happened, I still would’ve jumped in to help. I even told Bob after the incident that if he hadn’t had his gun pulled, I would’ve jumped in and helped.

Everyone has a right to their opinion and a right to voice that opinion. I’m okay with that because I know that I have helped in situations before when additional help wasn’t around. I help whenever I can. I’ve been known to assist at car wrecks. I’ve helped take a suspect down who was fighting officers. I’ve helped when I could.

Bob asked me personally Tuesday morning if I had seen what he had seen. He wanted to know why no one even offered to help. He said during the ordeal he could clearly see people just watching.

As for my own opinion, there was none in my article. Everything that was in there came straight from the mouth of the person whose life was in danger, Bob. I didn’t make stuff up. I didn’t exaggerate the truth. Coming from the man that fought for several minutes while worrying for his life and those around him, that’s how it happened.

Several of you have questioned why I didn’t jump in and help. I’ve heard from people who were locked in their office looking out a window wanting to know why I just stood around taking pictures instead of helping. Well, again, it’s my job. I did assess the situation and made the determination that my help wasn’t warranted.

Let me ask you, can you really say with certainty what you would have done if you were in that situation? The answer is no, you can’t. No one knows what they will do until the situation is happening. You weren’t right there. You weren’t standing close enough to hear the men breathing. The point is, you don’t know what actually transpired because you were locked in your office

For those of you that are totally lost, feel free to go online at www.thesuntimes.com and read the Guestbook blog for the story. As for the critics, you can say what you want, I know what I did was what I needed to do and I have no problem sleeping at night.

By the way Bob, you know I had your back!

Louis Short of Heber Springs is a staff writer and photographer for The Sun-Times; his column appears each Friday. E-mail him at schoolnews@thesuntimes.com

 

He did the right thing, we report news/sports, we don't become part of it.

 

There was a situation probably 7 to 10 years ago in Jersey where a columnist gave his press credential to police so the cop could pose as a reporter as he "interviewed" a suspect and moved in for the arrest.

Here's a link:

http://www.allbusiness.com/information/publishing-industries/362130-1.html

 

So do you disagree with this part?

If I had been there five minutes prior to this happening, when the incident wasn’t under control, you bet I would’ve jumped in and helped. If I had been there while 20 or so others were just watching, as Bob said happened, I still would’ve jumped in to help. I even told Bob after the incident that if he hadn’t had his gun pulled, I would’ve jumped in and helped.