Students participate in Q&A with Detective Jamie Reardon

Journalism students from Professor Mary Carey’s Journalism 300 class filled the Amherst Police Department classroom, typically used for training purposes. Detective Jamie Reardon walks into the room in full uniform, taking some time out of his 16 hour day to answer questions for the class. The discussion focused primarily on the interactions between the police and the press, and with Reardon’s 13 years on the force he has had plenty of experience dealing with reporters and citizen journalists.

Reardon opened the discussion with the topic of privacy, and where people do and do not have an expectation of privacy. “In a public place you have no expectation of privacy, if I’m walking on the street you can take my picture.” He told the students about how the police department will use videos of parties and other illegal behavior that are posted to Facebook or Youtube as evidence in their investigations. He noted that police were using videos from the recent “Blarney Blowout” in their search for those who attended, reiterating that the internet is also a public sphere, where privacy is not expected.

The prevalence of phones that are capable of taking videos and pictures has had a significant impact on the work of police officers. Reardon describes a situation he dealt with where a student used his phone to record an individual who had broken into his roommate’s room. Reardon used the video to track down the individual and provided it as evidence to make the arrest. The new recording capabilities of popular devices have created a blurred line of privacy, and he notes that “the laws we deal with haven’t caught up with the times.”

Although the police will go to the boundaries of privacy in their investigations, there is some information that they keep private from the press to protect those involved. For instance, the police very rarely release the names of victims to a crime and also do not give details regarding warrants that are issued. Every weekday morning at 8 a.m. the police have a meeting with the press. Reardon says that “Before anything is released me must make sure that it’s accurate, legitimate, and does not violate privacy.”

The Amherst Police Department has more than 80 policies that it has implemented in regards to situational protocol and the release of information. Reardon made it clear that the police could release any and all information regarding an arrest, crime, or other incident but often times do not to protect the privacy of those involved. “Unless we physically bring them in in cuffs we don’t release their name until they’re brought before the court,” he said. The police do not let the press go through the detailed reports that are written about each arrest, because they want to prevent prejudice and any violation of rights. When asked if the police ever withhold information from reporters he responded, “All the time.”

While the police have a meeting with the press every morning, they do not respond to inquiries regarding ongoing court cases. The District Attorney’s office is the main press center for open cases, because the police want to avoid any prejudice that may arise from them answering questions.

After discussing the relationship between the police and the press, Reardon opened the floor to questions of any kind. He provided insights into probable cause, the role police have as “community caretakers,” and protective custody. He also made a couple subtle suggestions by answering “no comment” in response to questions about whether or not police create fake accounts on Facebook and what happens in the 10% of interrogations that are not recorded.

The students departed the police station a bit more informed and free of charges.