French Quarter blogger Thom Khaler’s publishing of 8th District police reports “with embellishment, spin (and) wisecracks” has led to Edwin Hosli, commander of the 8th District, to fire off the following e-mail to those on his list:
“I believe that it is time for the 8th District to begin sending out updates directly to the citizens we serve. I will begin sending out the crime information, locations, types of crime, descriptions of wanted subjects, what arrests were made, and description of the perpetrator’s vehicle, if available. It will also give us an opportunity to continue to give crime tips and relay information to a larger segment of the community.
“I currently have 402 email addresses. I know that this is just the beginning and the email address distribution list will increase. I ask that you forward this to others in our community interested in receiving the information. Our email address is 8thdistrict@cityofno.com. I welcome all suggestions, concerns, or complaints.”
I wish my district commander would do the same. I wish all district commander’s would do the same. What I read on Nola.com is the most vague and indeterminate reports possible: “A 23 year-old male was shot on Washington Ave. around 4 a.m. this morning. Witnesses say he was seen with another man shortly before the shooting. The name of the victim is being withheld. Call Crimestoppers.”
I’ve enjoyed reading Khaler’s reports. Though admittedly, I couldn’t stand the wisecracks. If he wanted crime to be taken seriously, perhaps he could, ya know, take it seriously. It’s not hard to change “two black thugs” to “two African American suspects” or “a white dude” to “a white victim.” It’s hard to gather information when your cringing through the posts.
That critique aside, Khaler does an excellent job processing the information he intermittently receives from the 8th District. The info is all there and one can easily see where and when robberies and assaults are happening in the Quarter, Warehouse District and CBD. Of particular commendation is the section of his site that track suspects on their way through the court system. It’s a simple yet informative way that a community can keep tabs on the accused.
Funny, that Nola.com has followed Khaler’s lead andsuddenly posted 8th district crime statistics on their front page this morning.
Check Khaler’s response to Hosli’s decision here.