Kolbe's Request To Limit Press Access Rebuffed By Police
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
Times-Union Staff Writer
Kosciusko County Prosecutor David Kolbe asked county law enforcement officers not to talk directly to the press about criminal matters, but not many officers are listening.
"In our opinion, the only reason we wouldn't talk to the press is if we had a gag order from a judge on a certain case," Warsaw Police Chief Craig Allebach said Wednesday.
Allebach was reacting to a memo Kolbe sent Aug. 21 asking all Kosciusko County law enforcement agencies to direct communications with the press on criminal cases to his office.
The memo said, in part: "I would appreciate it if we would establish presently as a rule that with regard to pending criminal investigations and matters submitted to our office that any and all dealings with the press be directed through our office."
His reason for the request, he said, was that the prosecutor's office is protected by law from libel and slander if information is released on a specific case that is later dismissed.
Kolbe said Wednesday that he was concerned that the police may prematurely disclose information to the press that could jeopardize an investigation.
And he also said a March 19 article in the Times-Union concerning a suspect in the "bicycle bandit" string of burglaries influenced his decision to issue the memo.
Kosciusko County Sheriff Al Rovenstine said the memo hasn't changed any policies for his department, and he has not instructed his officers to alter their procedures on dealing with reporters.
"I am aware of the memo and I guess I will react to it on a situation-by-situation basis," he said.
George Alexander, Pierceton's town marshal, and Craig Hollopeter, Silver Lake's town marshal, also said they were not changing procedures since receiving the memo.
"All our case reports are public record, so if there's something that needs to be discussed with the press, I'm not going to hold it back," Hollopeter said.
Kolbe said he realized the memo was only a request and not an order.
"I can't order them, they don't have to follow that," he said.
Allebach summed up his department's reaction to the memo. "We aren't paying any attention to it," he said. "Basically for us it's just business as usual. ... I see no reason to change, and if we did, that would come from me, not him." [[In-content Ad]]
Times-Union Staff Writer
Kosciusko County Prosecutor David Kolbe asked county law enforcement officers not to talk directly to the press about criminal matters, but not many officers are listening.
"In our opinion, the only reason we wouldn't talk to the press is if we had a gag order from a judge on a certain case," Warsaw Police Chief Craig Allebach said Wednesday.
Allebach was reacting to a memo Kolbe sent Aug. 21 asking all Kosciusko County law enforcement agencies to direct communications with the press on criminal cases to his office.
The memo said, in part: "I would appreciate it if we would establish presently as a rule that with regard to pending criminal investigations and matters submitted to our office that any and all dealings with the press be directed through our office."
His reason for the request, he said, was that the prosecutor's office is protected by law from libel and slander if information is released on a specific case that is later dismissed.
Kolbe said Wednesday that he was concerned that the police may prematurely disclose information to the press that could jeopardize an investigation.
And he also said a March 19 article in the Times-Union concerning a suspect in the "bicycle bandit" string of burglaries influenced his decision to issue the memo.
Kosciusko County Sheriff Al Rovenstine said the memo hasn't changed any policies for his department, and he has not instructed his officers to alter their procedures on dealing with reporters.
"I am aware of the memo and I guess I will react to it on a situation-by-situation basis," he said.
George Alexander, Pierceton's town marshal, and Craig Hollopeter, Silver Lake's town marshal, also said they were not changing procedures since receiving the memo.
"All our case reports are public record, so if there's something that needs to be discussed with the press, I'm not going to hold it back," Hollopeter said.
Kolbe said he realized the memo was only a request and not an order.
"I can't order them, they don't have to follow that," he said.
Allebach summed up his department's reaction to the memo. "We aren't paying any attention to it," he said. "Basically for us it's just business as usual. ... I see no reason to change, and if we did, that would come from me, not him." [[In-content Ad]]