Field Trip #2: Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office and Operations Center

We visited the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office and Operations Center Sept. 16, and Public Information Officer J.D. Callaway showed us that there is a lot of information at our disposal in the form of public records.

Callaway is a University of South Florida alumnus and a former reporter for The Tampa Tribune, so he not only knows where to get public records, but also how to use them and mistakes that some reporters make when covering crime.

As he passed out hardcopies of public records (a news release, an individual's charge report, a criminal report affidavit and an incident report), Callaway told us how information is generally put out and gathered. Police start by putting out a news release, the timing of which depends on the circumstances of the crime or situation. Reporters can then pick up the suspect's mug shot and information. This is the individual's charge report. Reporters can also get a criminal report affidavit from the jail. Both a CRA and an incident report are not fully public record. Police must redact exempted information, but a reporter can get the public information if he or she asks for it.

Police will help reporters, he said, because they want the best story printed for the public, too.

However, the 'best' story may be difficult for reporters to write. As electronic media becomes more and more prevalent, reporters are faced with a conflict: verification versus speed. In 24-hour news networks, less value is being placed on verification and more is being placed on getting there first.

Some mistakes that reporters make can be a result of a work environment that demands speed. Callaway used an example concerning police scanners. If a reporter is listening to a police scanner, they are only receiving 30 percent of the information, which is not always accurate. The reporter could hear something, and he or she might have to put accuracy and verification on the backburner in order to break the story quickly and beat the competition.

Another mistake reporters may make is neglecting to pursue the information that is available to them. With such large workloads, reporters may forget to come back to the sheriff's office for the full report of a crime because they lose track of what documents they can get. Callaway cites search warrants as very valuable documents that reporters can get at the courthouse. In a search warrant, a reporter can see the angles that police are pursuing.

The tour of the office was an interesting experience. The part that stood out for me the most was walking through the dispatch center and noticing the amount of concentration employees must have when dealing with multiple computer screens and handling 911 emergency phone calls.

This trip was very beneficial. I learned more about public records and their availability with regard to crime reporting. I also gained a better understanding of how the police system works and the role that it plays in journalism.