By Karen Schott, Cuddy Valley

I am writing this in part to Kern County Sheriff Donny Youngblood. I want him to know my point of view as the victim of a recent break-in at my property in our mountain area. I would like to draw attention to Sheriff Youngblood’s policy of not releasing booking photos.

Thinking that the good guys wear white hats and the bad guys wear black is not useful in today’s world. In our rural area we have to stay alert, network with our neighbors, and count on our own eyes and ears to protect ourselves and our property. A picture becomes very important in today’s society.

The chances of a victim running into the perpetrator in an urban area may be very slim. But here we can easily find ourselves face to face with someone who disturbed our sense of safety in our own homes.

I would like to know that the person in front of me at the grocery store—or standing at my property line looking over my outbuildings—is the one with his picture in The Mountain Enterprise, The New Mountain Pioneer and the post office wall as arrested or convicted for a crime.

I concede that you may wish to wait to release the photos until a person is convicted, or until they plead guilty. But the photo should be released. Look at what is happening today. In a recent instance, the man who was arrested and convicted didn’t do his time. He was sentenced to six months, but was out again in under three months. Can you really say “he paid his debt to society”? This man was arrested for breaking into someone’s home again shortly after he was released.

Sheriff Youngblood, who are you protecting with this “no publication” policy? I do not think it is me or my neighbors.

Please take this into consideration when you are making county policies.

This is part of the September 14, 2012 online edition of The Mountain Enterprise.

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