To the San Juan County Sheriff’s office:

Glancing at the Sheriff’s Log in a recent issue of the Sounder, I was dismayed by the presentation of suspicions alongside facts. In reporting a theft from a home, the log names a small private road on Orcas, along with the information that the homeowner “suspects” that the culprits are workers at a certain business, easily identifiable from the type of business and the name of the road. In our small community, readers can pinpoint a very small group of people from the information given. People are suspicious of others for many reasons – some based on facts, some based on personal biases. I find publishing someone’s guesses about his neighbors to be disturbing, even in the small print of the Sheriff’s Log. It could lead readers to share suspicion about certain persons. If law enforcement officially announces crime suspects, after investigation, then (and only then) publishing the names or identifying information, using the word “alleged” until conviction, seems legitimate. I do not know any of the involved parties; I just object on principle to this type of reporting – since there’s no way one can defend oneself against unfounded rumor. Please be more thoughtful about these issues in the future.

Anita Holladay

Eastsound