I got pulled over for speeding Saturday.
I was in Rock Springs and driving near Veterans Park when it happened. The Rock Springs Police Department officer told me I was driving 40 mph in a 30 mph zone, which I can confirm because the knee-jerk reaction to seeing any sort of patrol vehicle is to quickly glance at my speedometer. The officer gave me a warning about the speeding and was genuinely pleasant during the stop. A mental error involving a dead cell phone and not printing my insurance cards resulted in a citation for not having that readily available. Thankfully I was able to get that one dismissed.
A lot of people would dismiss the experience as a cop focusing too much on a small infraction while there are “real criminals” out there, that isn’t how I look at it. He was doing his job, promoting public safety by making a traffic stop. I was driving too fast and was rightfully stopped for that. He didn’t stop me because he didn’t like how I looked at him or to simply flex his authority.
I mention this because the story I wrote last week about the Green River Police Department not following the state’s public documents laws serves a similar purpose. It wasn’t done as a “gotcha” on the GRPD. I didn’t write it because of a dislike for the department or anyone in particular. I wrote the story to inform residents about what they should have able access to, as well as explain why the department’s stance is wrong.
I believe one of the roles a newspaper has in its community is to be a community watch dog. Who else will point out instances where government or our elected officials act in ways that don’t promote the public’s interest? Some may view this stance as not being supportive of local government, but the public’s interests should come before anything else. These stories have the opportunity to foster changes for the betterment of Green River.
That’s what motivates me at least. Journalism isn’t the best paying job out there, but working towards the public good is a nice perk. I love this community, but sometimes to show that love, it’s necessary point out what isn’t working.
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