Better identification

When a person is arrested, you are entitled to know who the police take into custody, who they think committed a crime and how our justice system works.

The standard method for media to identify a person charged with a serious crime is to report their name, age and what town they live in. It has worked for decades.

But there are times when John Smith, 35, Seattle, is not enough to keep people from accidently thinking it is the John Smith they know. The John Smith who is a beloved family member or a favorite co-worker.

How can a newspaper provide 1,000 words to properly identify the man charged with murder, rape or a drive-by shooting?

A picture.

Every person arrested in this state has their picture taken. It is used to help law enforcement identify the suspect/defendant. The law requires the arresting agency to take the photograph, but most let county jails take the pictures as part of the booking process. It saves them time.

Sometimes law enforcement offers these pictures when looking for a "person of interest," just as the Grant County Sheriff's Office and Moses Lake police did this week with the Columbia Basin Herald.

The availability of booking photos was taken away from the public when a Spokane city official was arrested for DUI and resisting arrest. The Spokesman Review newspaper sued to obtain the booking photo to identify the official.

The court ruled against them.

Senate House Bill 1698 would reverse the court decision. It would make booking photos public record again.

Before you get upset about the possibility of your DUI booking photo made public, be aware Washington is one of only two states to keep the records private. Remember the picture of actor Nick Nolte in his fine DUI hair style?

The bill is stalling because of fears whipped up by ACLU. Their claim is all booking photos would be put on websites. Not true. Most media only report serious crimes and the bill would only allow photos of people charged in court to be released.

This bill is needed to restore a public record. It shouldn't be private.

The criminal justice system owes it to the public to help improve identification of people arrested for major crimes.

And a picture is worth 1,000 words.

- Editorial board