The Danger of Falling Asleep

Today's editorial in the Kane County Chronicle was quite critical of our handling of a recent shooting incident here in Elburn. The Chronicle implies that by working the case and solving the crime, Elburn "needlessly inflamed a fearful community." I do not agree with their assessment.

In fact, Chronicle Managing Editor Greg Rivara and I spoke only one time on the phone about this incident. It is my opinion that our conversation was somewhat less than a pleasant one.

There is one point about which I am quite certain. Mr. Rivara and I did not talk about the legal implications of releasing or not releasing this information to the press. I am deeply distressed that the Chronicle editorial would imply that someone had a conversation with me that never took place.

What I did tell Mr. Rivara was if a reporter calls me and asks me what happened in Elburn last night, I tell them the truth. I tell them that unfortunately "three people were shot," and we are investigating the matter. But, if no one calls, I don't call the Chronicle, or any other newspaper for that matter. That is not my job. Furthermore, which newspaper am I supposed to call first?

I believe this negative editorial is not as much about Elburn's handling of this incident, as it is about blaming someone other than the Kane County Chronicle for missing this story.

Mr. Rivara told me his phone lines were "ringing off the hook" with subscribers suspicious that the Chronicle was "in bed" with Elburn to keep this story quiet. Evidently, the Chronicle editorial would like its readers to believe that it was somehow Elburn's "silence" that caused the Chronicle to miss the story. Nothing could be further from the truth.

This shooting incident was not "silent" in Elburn, nor was there any attempt on our part to conceal what had happened. Our police and fire scanners were "crackling" with information. The Elburn Fire Department responded to the scene, and several ambulances were dispatched. The Kane County Major Crimes Task Force was activated, and the Kane County Office of Emergency Management responded and set up spotlights. To top it all off, the entire property was cordoned off with bright yellow crime scene tape. Yes, it was just like CSI, and clearly visible from a busy county highway for over 10 hours.

I ask the Kane County Chronicle, where were your reporters whose job it is to ask questions, report the news and inform the public? If the Chronicle ignores a major crime in Elburn, I don't blame your subscribers for calling. What else are they missing in your newspaper?

Through a combined intergovermental effort, the Elburn Police Department fully mobilized, investigated this incident, protected the constitutional rights of those involved and solved a major crime. All of this happened while the Chronicle "snoozed."

I believe that the Village of Elburn's job is to serve and protect our residents, and in this instance, to catch the "bad guy." I also believe that is exactly what we did.

As for the Chronicle, if they just show up and do their job, there is no "fabricated" issue of Elburn's purported "silence." Of course, the Chronicle is not going to tell you that. It is pretty difficult for Elburn officials to anticipate questions from a news organization either unable or unwilling to cover a major crime in our community.

Sadly, the end result for Elburn residents and Chronicle subscribers is that they both stay uninformed. And, that is the danger of falling asleep.