Macomb County Sheriff Wickersham – we need to talk. We need to talk about a recent policy decision made by you to shield would-be criminals from public knowledge.
Up until recently the Macomb County Jail website displayed the mugshots of those incarcerated within the 4 walls of Macombs penitentiary. The public could, and would be able to search the online jail database to see the bad guys and girls, their charges, where they were arrested and their mugs in all their glory.
Now, for some reason the jail no longer displays mugshots of those in custody. Why is this? Why the protections of those who are doing wrong in the community?
I’m going to beat you to the punch on something already, “because of the presumption of innocence.” There is already a disclaimer on the County Jail page that houses the JailTracker technology, it reads this:
“The information made available on this website is for the general public and law enforcement to promote the interest of public safety. The content on this website is determined by the facility, and while the best efforts has been made to ensure that information published herein is true and complete, please contact the facility before making any assumption that the information listed here is factual and complete, or if you have reason to believe that any inmate information contained here is inaccurate.”
Furthermore the Macomb County Sheriff’s Office own social media page (tagged for a reason) ASKS the public to identify potential law breakers. So you can’t have a “presumption of innocence” reasoning to restrict mugshots – but then turn around and ask the public to help I.D. those who you believe are breaking the law.
Quite hypercritical. How can you ask me to track down bad guys, but you can’t let us see who the bad guys are in jail?
Why do you get to decide what We The People have access to? Why do you get to decide what myself in the media has access to report on? You’re going to say “You can FOIA it.” I’m not spending money to find out who the bad people are in the community. I already spend enough.
SECOND – Officers names and badge numbers are now displayed on the county jail website. This is something that has been “on again/off again” over recent years. Before the badge names and numbers have been public information, then it was taken away, now it’s back.
It needs to be removed once and for all. The men and women of every jurisdiction in Macomb County deserve to have their names and badge numbers protected from public domain in the name of their safety.
Democrats are on a mega-push to force ICE officers to have their identity on full display while carrying out duties they are paid to do, to protect and serve. Democrats want their faces exposed, their names on display and their badge numbers in full view.
UNACCEPTABLE.
Let me say this as clear as I can. I support the blue. I will always support the blue. The men and women who put their lives on the line in the streets deserve the utmost respect from the community.
That thin blue line flag header on the top of this page is going absolutely nowhere, but Sheriff Wickersham, the decision to conceal the identity of suspects on the jail website is wrong and needs to be reversed.
The decision to include badge names/numbers on the county jail website is twice as wrong, and too must be reversed.
– MDCR
