SHOULD PUBLIC BE TOLD OF SERIAL KILLERS? Police and Citizen Interests Often Collide

SHOULD PUBLIC BE TOLD OF SERIAL
KILLERS?
Police and Citizen Interests Often Collide

By Kevin Heldman

NEW YORK (APBNews.com) — Are lives further endangered when local police withhold information about a possible serial killer — or when they release it?

This is one of the most contentious aspects of the relationship between communities and their police agencies during a serial killer investigation, according to veterans on all sides of the issue.

The debate has led to a number of conflicts:

In Milwaukee, Wis., at least 12 women have been strangled in
what may be the work of one person, but the police department refuses comment on any aspect of the case.

In Portland, Ore., a criminal investigator still refuses talk to
the local newspaper because 16 years ago the editor refused to run a composite of a suspected killer for fear the paper would be perceived as an arm of law enforcement.