oceanblueeyes, TY for the kind words. Yes, from day one all available resources; Local, State, and Federal LEAs were utilized in the Holly Bobo abduction investigation.
All available resources except the most valuable investigative resource; The American public via msm.
I agree, as I am sure most everyone does, that the integrity of the investigation must be protected. With the advent of communications and forensic technology advancements. It is no longer necessary to hold back all info and evidence, as in the past, imo. We are living in a new era where aware citizens/the public are the eyes and ears of law enforcement; analogous to a security camera across the landscape of America. Most missing/murdered persons cases are solved due to an aware citizen's tip.
In high profile cases such as Holly Bobo's, a Media Management Strategy by the lead agency is imperative, not only for a successful conclusion, but also to prevent speculation, rumors, and keep the community informed. Silence, nor misinfo via msm is considered an effective media management strategy during an abduction investigation.
Although the following sniped article is intended for serial murder investigations. Imo, it highlights the importance of media management in all high profile multi agency investigations...
http://www.fbi.gov/stats-services/publications/serial-murder
IX. Media Issues in Serial Murder Investigations
Often the relationship between law enforcement and the media is not a close one. In some law enforcement agencies, there is a long history of distrust and resentment underpinning this relationship. From the law enforcement perspective, the media publishes unauthorized information from investigations, hypothesizes on investigative progress, and uses talking heads to critique the investigative efforts. From the medias standpoint, law enforcement withholds too much information and does not communicate adequately with the media. It is counterproductive for law enforcement to sustain contentious relationships with the media, while attempting to develop an overall strategy for a successful serial murder investigation. The only party who benefits from this negative relationship is the serial murderer, who may continue to avoid detection. A respectful, cooperative relationship between law enforcement and the media will serve the missions of both.
It becomes essential for law enforcement personnel involved in a serial murder investigation to design and implement an effective media plan. The plan should provide timely information on a regular basis, without compromising the investigative endeavors. It is essential for media releases to be closely coordinated with investigative strategies. This helps determine the best times to both educate and solicit information from the public concerning certain aspects of the investigation. Once a media plan is established, law enforcement can be more proactive than reactive in its media strategy.
Symposium attendees provided a number of suggestions regarding media issues:
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