“I hope it was worth it.”
Those words echoed through my mind after being told of an incident that occurred during a law enforcement investigation of a recent fatal accident in Columbus.
For the last six years I have had the privilege of being assigned the role of the public relations officer for the Columbus Police Department. Each day, I am tasked with the responsibility of sharing news and information that involves our police department with local and state media outlets as well as the community.
Since stepping into this role, I have strived to work with accuracy and respect to everyone involved. It is no coincidence that we do not send photographs or video of graphic incidents we are investigating to the media nor do we post them on our social media platforms.
The last thing we would want to do is cause unnecessary discomfort to the families and loved ones of those dealing with a tragedy. It benefits no one and it’s simply not worth it.
So, recently when two unidentified people walked up past our officers at an accident scene and began taking close up video and photographs while civilians and first responders were attempting to render aid to an injured person who would later die from injuries sustained in the crash, I thought to myself…Why did you need to record this?
Why did you initially ignore the officer who told you to move back from the accident scene? While other civilians who witnessed the crash attempted to help and provide comfort to the injured person, you were too busy video recording this human being’s last living moments. Why? What purpose does this serve? Who does it benefit? I hope it was worth it…
Our officers have seen similar actions play out repeatedly at other critical incidents in Columbus over the past several years. Staged reality television and law enforcement shows that show only a small part of our jobs have only made things worse. Police officers and first responders deal with real life crisis each day and live with the after effects long after their shift ends. It is infuriating to hear of families seeing disturbing crash and crime scene images involving their loved ones posted by strangers online before we can notify them in person and in a dignified manner that they deserve.
Please take a moment and put yourself in the shoes of these families dealing with the sudden loss of a loved one and think about how your actions will impact them before you share hurtful images online. If the joy you receive by being the first to post someone else’s pain and anguish online is more important than respect and decency for others, all I can say is, I hope it was worth it.
Lt. Matt Harris is the Public Relations Officer for the Columbus Police Department. Comments may be sent to editorial@therepublic.com.
