Cameron,

Let me say again - I appreciate your reporting, and your style.  You have an excellent sense of humor, dry sarcasm, and spot on analysis.  I enjoy watching you do stories.

But as far as remaining anything but anonymous - it is an act of stupidity to raise your head here.

Your reporting on the West Memphis story has been fair and balanced.  It has failed on other law enforcement stories. The Nappi by Nature story has all the elements of that.  Now that the officers are suspended do they have any representation that can talk for them?  How come this disturbance reached the point it did? Who escalated it?  

From what I can tell the only thing that is for sure is the cops were investigating two innocent individuals when others interfered and created a situation where order had to be restored.  What happened from there who knows.

I will bet the police down there are really being proactive now! NOT! Who will suffer for that?  Who will suffer when cops basically say - I better just do my shift and go home.  I will just write reports on crime and not be proactive - the department will hang me out to dry and I will get sued.

I have seen and been the victims of disturbed cops.  Some people want to strap on a gun for all the wrong reasons.  There are SOME truly sick people wearing a badge.  

I have also been in the middle of a situation that went "tribal" after a car accident and watch a 50 y/o man get attacked by a surrounding crowd who had NOTHING to do with the accident.  It was very scary and sudden.

These cops are cooked as far as Memphis goes.  They better move on.  Guilty or not ANY incident in the future will be judged by this.  They stand to loose everything in a civil trial.  The press (YOU) will ONLY report the glamorous part - the cleanup never gets done.  NEVER

Case in point.  A while ago Jenny Diprizio did a story on a "brutal" cop slapping an innocent high school student while he was cuffed and the lawsuit that was filed. She also slapped a mannequin to highlight the brutality of the attack.

Unacceptable police behavior by almost anyone's standards - right?

What did she not report?  What did your fine organization not report?

Well first when she interviewed him he was decked out in Gangsta Disciple colors.  OK maybe we, as viewers, should have noticed that.  She then tracked the officer to his house and badgered him.  Now he is the subject of a substantial lawsuit and has been left out to dry by the city so he CAN'T talk.  No mention of that by her.

The part that really chaps me.  No mention of this kid's record.  Now he was a juvenile when this occurred so that is pretty much off limits. but what about his adult record?  Surely she could mention that, right?

Jimmy Rico Pigram

RNI 330622

Since being an adult has been charged with

Domestic Assault Bodily harm (he is 6'2 and he kicked a 12 y/o girl's @$$)

Carjacking (dropped - I am sure it was a big misunderstanding - most carjackings are)

Arson (where a 2 y/o was apparently horribly burned)

He is currently in jail (and indicted) for:

Aggravated Burglary

Aggravated Robbery

Aggravated Kidnapping

Now tell me given the HORRIBLE one sided presentation of that story, who in their right mind would allow you to get their story on the air?  You basically did a press release for JimmyRico and his mother for their lawsuit and NEVER corrected the many flaws in the story.  I pointed these out to Turpin and was basically called an idiot (which I at times am).  

The MPD has many officers who need this treatment.  When three Vice Lords threatened my life in my front yard and two black officers threatened me with arrest when I demanded they get off their butts and take a report, I was livid.  However, I kept my mouth shut and the situation was resolved without me being arrested.  The press would NOT have been all over that situation.

Police brutality, corruption, and laziness needs to be reported.  Stories also need to be corrected when wrong. If that doesn't happen the MPD will soon be devoid of any real police and will be filled with the equivalent of the Herenton administration.

Thanks - but I think I will remain anonymous until I can flee this city - a city I used to love.

Till then I will watch your newscasts.  They are informative and entertaining.  You deserve a bigger audience than Memphis.

....aaaah, OK.  Don't hold back.  "Tim", seriously, I appreciate the criticism right along with the good.  Thank you.

Also, JUST TO BE CLEAR, I'm not talking about anonymous posts to the blog or news tips in general, just the personal emails and letters.

Cameron

Cameron,

Excellent Job on the panel last Saturday at the DL. Thanks for spending your Saturday morning with the group. Keep up the good work. Sincerely, Tom

Thanks Cameron - as for the emails - and I have sent more than a few - I have always included my name.  On this forum, I will remain relatively anonymous.  Frank honest discussion cannot occur in this city any other way.  I can't handle violence.

Again I appreciate 24, your station does the best reporting hands down.  I only watch another station when I know there is a story I want to see.

Don't let the morons that jumped all over you for releasing the West Memphis officers name and record bother you.  It was news, valid news, reported fairly.  

There are many who believe the police can do no wrong.  I have personal experience with police who should not have a badge.  The Nappi by Nature cops may be some of those - or they may have had a situation go bad on them.  It sure looks bad for them because the people involved appear to be model citizens.  The Jimmy Rico situation well we can disagree on that!

Unfortunately if there is not video tape you are innocent until proven guilty!  Both ways cops and criminals.

i just heard the story about mr cheesemans problem with trucks parking on his street and police busted him out to the man he was complaining about.  well i think one of memphis problems on crime is police want citizens to do part of their job. in 1998 my x was murdered and i was told that they needed someone to go down to a crack house and quote spread some money around. of course i said i dont think so thats you guys job. has nothing to do with story tonight but just made me rember what police told me and kind of pissed me off.

"i just heard the story about mr cheesemans problem with trucks parking on his street and police busted him out to the man he was complaining about.  well i think one of memphis problems on crime is police want citizens to do part of their job. in 1998 my x was murdered and i was told that they needed someone to go down to a crack house and quote spread some money around. of course i said i dont think so thats you guys job. has nothing to do with story tonight but just made me rember what police told me and kind of pissed me off. "

Pitiful.

In the early 80's one of my friends lived in Cooper Young and he thought the neighborhood was going to make a come back.  (I though he was an idiot - he made a great deal of money!)  He would buy houses and rehab them while living in them.  He bought a shotgun house in the South East portion of of C.Y.

To make a long story short he was having trouble with crackheads and prostitutes living in an "abandoned" house.  We were sitting there drinking beer on his porch one night and a bunch of loud drunk whores where making a racket at nearly twelve at night.  He called the police and I laughed at him.  Within 5 minutes the a cop in a K-car arrived.  The officer stopped and was questioning 2 of them that were leaning in his window.  My friend was gloating until one got in the front seat and the cop and her head immediately disappeared as they drove off!!!

The incident that sent him down to the station was when the crack dealers started shooting one night.  He called the law and the cop drove up and down the street several times, evidently unable to notice the boarded up house with four black males sitting on the front porch.  Baffled, the cop pulled down to my friends house, GOT ON THE LOUDSPEAKER and asked if he was the one who called the cops and where were the shooters!!!!!

When he arrived at the station to complain (VERY upset to put it mildly) the cop at the desk was about to arrest him for having the unmitigated gall to complain (they always have the winners working at the desk). Fortunately a sergeant walked in and figured out what was going on.  A lieutenant and inspector got involved and there were many genuine apologies offered.  They even sent the moron cop over that got on the loudspeaker to apologize - that one wasn't too genuine.

He persevered and the neighborhood improved but he was the subject of mucho vandalism.  Now the crackheads would just burn him out.

Hey, Cameron,
This blog is getting old.  Where have you been?  I've been missing your wit!  Surely there has got to be something out there that you're just itching to talk about!

Has the judge ruled on the 911 wrongful death medical malpractice lawsuit of the 7 year old girl Destiny Wilson?

If there is any updated information, please advise.

Thank-You

why haven't you guys aired anything about the jena 6

I was having Lunch at McAllister's Deli.. and I was Leaving a tip, for the waitress,
and  I  could here  the asist. manager , her to put her tip money in a jar on the-
counter up front. I  ask if she( the waitress ) would get it at the end of her shift?
She  said no... Well  I think  it's sad  when a  employee 's tips goes to a Company-
and this young woman ,I'm guessing , maybe makes minimum wages.
And  I guess it's true the rich gets richer,and the poor, gets poorer.

                                                                        Thank You
                                                                        8-30-07 6:29-pm

I was having Lunch at McAllister's Deli.. and I was Leaving a tip, for the waitress,
and  I  could here  the asist. manager ,tell her to put her tip money in a jar on the-
counter up front. I  ask if she( the waitress ) would get it at the end of her shift?
She  said no... Well  I think  it's sad  when a  employee 's tips goes to a Company-
and this young woman ,I'm guessing , maybe makes minimum wages.
And  I guess it's true the rich gets richer,and the poor, gets poorer.

                                                                        Thank You
                                                                        8-30-07 6:29-pm

I have enjoyed watching your news channel for two years now. Everyone does a good job!

For the past year I have been seriously thinking about running for Mayor of Memphis. I know that I would do a wonderful job cause I was born and raised in Memphis, I know my way around, I care about the community and the people that live in Memphis.

I have watched Memphis growing up, going from good, to bad, to worse, to now it looks almost gone. If I were Mayor I would take the time to listen to the people of the community and work very hard to solve their problems. I know it sounds like a laugh, but I really care about the kids because they are our future and I want them to grow up and feel safe and be able to work in a nice environment.

Our present Mayor doesn't care about the community and is nowhere to be found when things go wrong and people have questions. I would be there and do anything and everything I could to solve the problems.

Memphis is going to be a Big mess to clean up for the next Mayor. It will take years and years of hard work, but I am willing to do that. I love Memphis and I want everyone else to feel safe and enjoy working and living in Memphis.

Cemeron, what do  you think about a young lady runnig for Mayor of Memphis?

Thank You
 
 7-1-08