Local media, citizen involvement and Elk Grove government accountability
Yesterday we received an e-mail commenting about the need for transparency and accountability in government and the important role citizens ...
https://www.elkgrovenews.net/2008/04/local-media-citizen-involvement-and-elk.html
Yesterday we received an e-mail commenting about the need for transparency and accountability in government and the important role citizens have in keeping our elected officials accountable. As a fledgling news site focusing on Elk Grove, we couldn’t agree more.
The comments brought to mind a recent story that portrays the interaction between governments’ inherent desire to reveal as little as possible, how the media reports and disseminates news and the roles citizens have in helping the press keep local official accountable.
The story comes from the Elk Grove Citizen’s April 11 print edition titled Patrol car totaled in crash. The story was about how and unidentified police officer crashed and totaled a police car while responding to an emergency call.
While the event itself is not controversial, the one thing does jump out is that, according to the story, Elk Grove Police Department spokesperson Officer Christopher Trim “declined to disclose the officer’s name, and the other driver’s name and age was unavailable as of press time.”
Our point here is not to criticize the Citizen. They were working on a deadline and the information was probably not available.
Also, while the accident was big local news on that day, it will quickly pass from local consciousness. It is unlikely there will be any follow-up story unless a civil suit is brought by the injured party.
Nor are we here to criticize Officer Trim. Indeed, Trim has quickly responded to our information requests.
The point is this: an Elk Grove police officer totals a taxpayer vehicle that will likely cost taxpayers a minimum of tens of thousands of dollar in replacement cost and we don’t even know who the officer is.
Is this officer going to face disciplinary action? What type of emergency was the officer responding too?
Is the police department going to review how they handle emergency response procedures? Who, aside from the city council if they choose to pursue this, will the police department be accountable to?
These are not unreasonable questions to ask.
While the Citizen, as the 800 pound gorilla of the Elk Grove media may do a follow-up, they too are limited in resources they can dedicate to this.
Who will it fall to keep our government on its toes?
Ultimately this and other questions like it are the responsibility of Elk Grove citizens. It is up to each of us to keep our government accountable and let them know exactly what we expect from them.
The comments brought to mind a recent story that portrays the interaction between governments’ inherent desire to reveal as little as possible, how the media reports and disseminates news and the roles citizens have in helping the press keep local official accountable.
The story comes from the Elk Grove Citizen’s April 11 print edition titled Patrol car totaled in crash. The story was about how and unidentified police officer crashed and totaled a police car while responding to an emergency call.
While the event itself is not controversial, the one thing does jump out is that, according to the story, Elk Grove Police Department spokesperson Officer Christopher Trim “declined to disclose the officer’s name, and the other driver’s name and age was unavailable as of press time.”
Our point here is not to criticize the Citizen. They were working on a deadline and the information was probably not available.
Also, while the accident was big local news on that day, it will quickly pass from local consciousness. It is unlikely there will be any follow-up story unless a civil suit is brought by the injured party.
Nor are we here to criticize Officer Trim. Indeed, Trim has quickly responded to our information requests.
The point is this: an Elk Grove police officer totals a taxpayer vehicle that will likely cost taxpayers a minimum of tens of thousands of dollar in replacement cost and we don’t even know who the officer is.
Is this officer going to face disciplinary action? What type of emergency was the officer responding too?
Is the police department going to review how they handle emergency response procedures? Who, aside from the city council if they choose to pursue this, will the police department be accountable to?
These are not unreasonable questions to ask.
While the Citizen, as the 800 pound gorilla of the Elk Grove media may do a follow-up, they too are limited in resources they can dedicate to this.
Who will it fall to keep our government on its toes?
Ultimately this and other questions like it are the responsibility of Elk Grove citizens. It is up to each of us to keep our government accountable and let them know exactly what we expect from them.
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