Posted on Monday, 11th May 2009 by Glenn D. Frankovis
Yesterday’s Milwaukee Journal / Sentinel contained a very good column by Crocker Stephenson in which he described his feelings after listening to the testimony in the homicide of a child at the hands of a caretaker. I have met Crocker and am impressed with his style of writing which always seems to focus on the victim(s) rather than the perpetrator(s) of a crime, so I took the time to e-mail him and express my appreciation of what he wrote along with a suggestion to explain something to his colleagues at the Journal. The following is what I wrote, and nothing I wrote should be misconstrued as any kind of negative criticism of Crocker Stephenson or his column:
“Crocker,
As I have written you in the past, your reporting is exceptional and stands out from that of most of your peers at the Journal / Sentinel.
I suspect I’m about to tell you something that you already know, but perhaps you can attempt to educate your peers (especially Gina Barton, who really isn’t in your class as a peer) that what you wrote when you said “Nothing has so stung my eyes, troubled my heart, sickened my stomach or tied my tongue” and “I want to tell you this: It cost me” is something that cops, and many firefighters and others in the helping professions, experience many times throughout the course of their careers (which is 25 to 30 years for many). So multiply the anguish you felt from that one trial times the many days that cops see this stuff over and over and over again which sometimes involves the same individuals and then understand how a defense mechanism like “Emotional Detachment” becomes necessary for a cop to survive mentally (and some don’t). That same defense mechanism, Emotional Detachment, is very often mistaken by media and others as an “I don’t care attitude” and these people doing the reporting often portray cops that way (especially Ms. Barton as she did in her hit piece, apparently done for the benefit of her defense attorney friend Jeffrey Jensen about Jason Mucha which she never followed up on to discover that her felon “poster boys” that she held up as truth-sayers have continued to rack up charges and even pled guilty in some cases - never mind that she created a great deal of turmoil in the lives of Mucha and his family - to include his mother - It was more important for her to create some false impression that Mucha was a “rogue cop” because some nutbag defense attorney who could never make a living in the real world wanted to use her liberal point of view to create some kind of Miami River/Rampart out of control group of cops which existed only in their minds - These cops did more for good people in their District than she and this attorney ever did, and were held in high esteem by the neighborhood people I regularly met with.)
I think people (media people in particular) need to understand what you wrote about and that cops experience this stuff on a daily basis in many cases. It has a cumulative and changing effect on a cop who does experience it regularly, just as combat has on a soldier and as you wrote about your experience. The exception for you is that you don’t have to experience it regularly and rely on defense mechanisms as often as cops do. And keep in mind that these defense mechanisms which help to maintain a cop’s sanity at work can be extremely destructive in a cop’s personal home life which is a contributing factor to the divorce rate of cops and their sometimes excessive reliance on alcohol and even drugs in some cases. That is not to say that some cops wouldn’t be predisposed to become alcoholics and/or drug addicts, but it cannot be denied that these day-to-day experiences do have a detrimental impact on some and lead them to “self-medicate” as the term is used at the V.A. Hospital.
Finally, “But pray that the journalism to come pays attention. Pray it tells the truth” is all a part of reporting accurately and responsibly. Too often though that is not the case. I read far too much personal bias in some reporters. As you very wisely wrote, “To the degree that attention is not paid, to the degree that the truth is shaded, that is the degree to which a reporter has failed.”
Glenn D. Frankovis
Captain - retired
Milwaukee Police Department (1975-2004)
Posted in Home | Comments (8) |
8 Responses to “A journalist’s reaction to the inhumanity of man.”
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May 11th, 2009 at 5:47 pm
Thanks Captain Frankovis - I’ve always been grateful for the support you’ve shown Jason and know that the time he spent working under your leadership has helped make him into the GREAT cop that he is!
Our family has come through this experience stronger than ever and are thankful everyday to have Jason in our family. I’ve been blessed with the privilege to be his Mom and could not be prouder of him.
Your support is much appreciated!
May 11th, 2009 at 7:28 pm
Well done Captain. You’ve described it exactly. If you don’t stay chilly about the extreme cruelty humans are capable of, you’ll go nuts.
I hope the members of the Fourth Estate heed your words and live up to their responsibilities.
May 11th, 2009 at 7:28 pm
Jensen as Barton’s “friend?” I think that Barton views Jensen, and all of his kind, as nothing more than sources; handy to have contact with to obtain information to complete their submission but otherwise not up on their screen…
May 11th, 2009 at 7:36 pm
Yes, “Anonymous Poster,” you’re clearly on to something there. Barton quotes Jensen in every piece she writes because she values the “handy information” he provides for her “submissions.”
Nobody provides “handy information” better than publicly-funded criminal defense attorneys.
May 11th, 2009 at 8:20 pm
Thats just great that Barton regularly quotes a bloated windbag such as Jensen. Barton’s poor “victims” have picked up countless cases since her drivel was printed on the front page of the paper that lines my hamster cage. It is the tops that Barton, a self described fiction writer used an aging hippy liberal douche to make an article. It shows how she is incapable of real reporting. Have you ever seen Gina, she has a face made for the back page of the newspaper. She is no Irwin M. Fletcher my friend!
May 11th, 2009 at 10:12 pm
Jensen takes out personal frustrations on child victims and thinks he can do it with impunity!
May 12th, 2009 at 1:05 pm
First of all to TRUDY: Thank you for raising a fine young man in Sergeant Jason Mucha! I have the honor to work with him and see the effort, care, and dedication to ALL of the citizens of Milwaukee he serves day in and day out. He does what needs to be done to keep all of us safe, even the thugs safe from one another. He is a HERO day in and day out. Thank you!
Captain, again you are spot on. This job drains a lot of life from you. You see cruelty inflicted daily and have to somehow get up the next day with hope for a better one. That is not always easy. In fact, some days it’s pretty dam hard. There is some unknown spirit that drives us to continue this work on a daily basis. That spirit is ignited every time I look into my own children’s eyes.
To Ms. Barton: While I am confidant you will rot in HELL, I am hopeful that prior to your demise you will suffer greatly for your actions. Your efforts to spread hatred shall one day return to torture you tenfold.
Mr. Stephenson, I have been a fan for a long time now, and have come to view your articles as considerate,kind and honest. I do believe you are about the only one left around these parts that can be trusted to convey the truth.
Lastly to all the judges who hand out the punishments. Let not another childs life be taken out of ignorance and lack of self control. Send messages to the people by putting these criminals away for long, long sentences. Please.
May 16th, 2009 at 5:50 am
I don’t want to hear the details of the pillow talk of Barton and Jensen.