TV Crime News Done My Way

If I owned or controlled a TV station in let’s say Chicago I’d being doing TV news just a little differently.

I have a gritty crime reporting unit that is separated from general assignment reporting. As always the news casts leads off with whatever segment has the most importance of that day. Weather always leads when it’s severe or the broadcast could be hinged on a major sports story. However when it bleeds, it leads.

The crime, courts and corruption segment would have its own name like Crimebeat, special graphics and faces. Reporters in this group need an attitude and style set apart from general assignment correspondents. They’d be using certain cop slang terms such as perp-walk, pinched, collared, and mug-shot. These reporters would be recruited from the ranks of cops, prosecutors and defense lawyers.

TV news viewers need to believe the crimebeat reporter understands his or her business. In the end it’s all about credibility and trust. No news department can function without the trust of those people inside the criminal justice system. Fluff reporters and crime news just don’t mix except in rare stories.

Crimes are by nature sensational and dramatic. The viewers want to know about the newsmaker’s actual prior criminal record rather than what some attention-whore, busybody neighbor has to say about him. Viewers want cold hard facts over gossip any day.

Crime reporters must learn how to use and abuse the court's and other public records to tell these stories.

If they’re leading with an important crime story, than they should put the necessary resources and work into it. Today’s TV new organization all have websites and the anchors and reporters should be promoting it. The viewers can be directed to view the actual court documents and see full length interviews rather than the 15 second sound-bites of the news makers. The website is the place for all those things that can’t possibly get stuffed into a TV newscast.

The Internet is here to stay and the news department’s website must attract both viewers and advertisers.

TV news has seen little change since the days or Edward R. Murrow. TV news is and should be exciting, accurate and interesting. The delivery of this product has instead become lethargic and lame.

Crime news affects everyone. I’m not suggesting we create a product that mimics Orson Wells’, War of The World broadcast. People don’t need panic-peddling broadcasters but they need to know the dangers they face with reduced law-enforcement resources and budgetary induced prisoner releases.

The public should also get the truth about their needs and rights to cope with the reality of violent crime. Providing tips on safety, locks, alarms, firearms training and self-defense is a duty of broadcasters.

A 40 Caliber Nightmare Is Caught On Tape.

So you’re confident that that .40 caliber S&W service round will keep you safe. Maybe you’ll have second thoughts after you see this video. One hot summer night in 1994 Tempe and Mesa Arizona police were involved in a pursuit with this suspect who ran into a stranger’s apartment to hide after being shot TWICE in the chest. He was shirtless and you can see the blood pumping out of those two wounds. What’s really frightening is just how agile this fellow is as he struts to the ambulance. If he was not handcuffed and had a knife or a gun, ask yourself if he could still hurt you, your partner or a hostage? If your jurisdiction demands that officers carry either the 9MM or the .40 Caliber S&W it’s time to show this video to your bosses and lobby to have the .45 ACP round authorized. The switch may well reduce the screaming by self-appointed community activists about how many rounds police had to use on a suspect. The really talented and courageous video journalist, Karen Ke...

The origin of the feature film, COME FRIDAY…

CLick On the pictures to see full size versions. Long ago there was a young lady I had the hots for in a big way (Yes, I know that hots is not a word). She was pretty, incredibly bright, and had some real elegance about her. She had a love for children and basic kindness that you don’t often see in someone her age. I met her parents and could understand she came from a much more stable home than mine. I was raised by a single, welfare mom and suddenly found myself way out-classed. For whatever reasons things did not workout they way I had hoped. Sadly for me, we went on our separate ways. From time to time I’d run into this lady in various places where our job had taken us. Whenever this happened my heart would skip a beat or two. I left my hometown Chicago, and moved to Arizona where I founded my detective agency. As a private eye and soon a TV news producer too, my career took me to the highest profile criminal events in Arizona and throughout the country. There’s no question that ...

Gun vs. Knife

So you think because you carry and know how to use a gun that you will be able to protect yourself from a knife or cutting instrument attack with ease? For those people that think guns are more dangerous than knives, think again. More than 60% of all people shot with firearms even multiple times survive the attack. Cutting and stabbing victims don’t do nearly as well. Bullet wounds self-seal because of the elastic nature of human tissue. Knife cuts lay open and bleed profusely as the veins and arteries are opened wide. Then there are those laughably ignorant people (too many are politicians) who want cops or civilians confronted by knife wielding criminals to either shoot the knife out of someone’s hand or just shoot to wound. You’re about to see that such an effort will get you killed. Watch this video and you will see the knife can easily beat a gun in any contest.

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