Hot off the presses is the Updated Press Release from the North Miami Beach Police Department about the kidnapping and rape that occurred on January 16, 2014.  I’m told the PD also FINALLY released the surveillance video that they were “attempting to retrieve,” as stated in the previous Press Release they released on January 18, 2014.

The lead detective on this case, Nigel Morrison, told me yesterday that the Department was in possession of one video and that they were attempting to get additional video before releasing it to the media.  Why they didn’t release it in a more timely manner is a mystery, but more on that in a moment.

Even more puzzling, earlier today Channel 7 broke the story that a similar incident happened in North Miami on January 11, 2014, and that Detectives from both Departments have been in discussions about the possibility that both cases might be related.  North Miami Police Major Neal Cuevas told reporter Rosh Lowe, “On the surface of it, there is enough about these two crimes to have the investigators initiate contact with each other to determine if they are related.  The fact that it was a woman getting to or into her car, the fact that she was approached by individuals armed, the fact that they [the victims] were placed back in the car, or in our particular case, in the trunk of the car, and they were driven around.”

I spoke again with Detective Morrison today, who told me he wasn’t convinced that the cases were related, but he wouldn’t necessarily rule it out.  When I asked what the official NMBPD position was, he said he didn’t know what the PIO would state in an updated Press Release since he’s not in charge of Public Information.

Obviously, there is no communication between the Detectives working on cases and the Department’s Public Information office because, as you can see, the just issued Updated Press Release states emphatically, “Our detectives have no reason to believe this is connected to any other similar cases.”

There is also obviously no communication between the NMBPD’s Public Information Office and North Miami’s PIO, since Major Cuevas told me that his Police Department has still not ruled out that the possibility that both crimes are related.

This begs the question, “Who’s on first?”

Obviously, North Miami Beach isn’t.

They’re not even at bat!

The new NMBPD Press Release also states, “At this time, the police department is not giving any interviews or sound bites.”

Oh, really?

I’m not sure why the North Miami Beach Police Department has suddenly decided that the public and the media don’t have a right to know about crimes in our city.  I’m not even sure when this freezing out of the media began because it has not always been the case.  Several reporters, who are absolutely astounded by this entire fiasco, have told me they are totally frustrated and stymied by the way they are being treated by our Department’s Public Information Office.

Crimes of this magnitude should be reported by the media immediately.  THIS IS A MATTER OF PUBLIC SAFETY.

Surveillance videos should be released at once in order to ask for the public’s assistance to help solve crimes.  Again, THIS IS A MATTER OF PUBLIC SAFETY!

As a case in point, the North Miami Police Department released a surveillance video of a nail saloon robbery and shooting that resulted in the death of Aaron Vu.  A suspect, Anthawn Ragan, was arrested and charged.  A week later, the Police Department released a second video of a restaurant robbery, where one of the suspects was identified as Anthawn Ragan.  Police hoped that Ragan’s accomplice might be identified by the public.  Unfortunately, the second gunman had his face covered.  Two weeks later, the NMPD released yet another video of a murder that occurred at nearby Motel 7, in which Ragan was also identified as one of the shooters, but this time his accomplice’s face wasn’t covered.  Terry Nealy was identified and arrested for the murder of Luis Perez.  Police are still investigating whether or not Nealy was involved in the two other crimes.

It’s important to note that these crimes were solved with tips from the public!

If the North Miami Police Department had sat on those videos and waited to release them all at once (as the NMBPD has done with this rape case), it’s quite possible that neither of the murders would have been solved.

By not releasing surveillance videos to the media as soon as they were available, there will always be the possibility that the PD missed a golden opportunity to solve the kidnapping and rape crime.  In the one or two days following the incident, someone watching a news broadcast just might have recognized one or more of the suspects.  It is now five days later and the video has just been released.  Precious time has been wasted.

Sources have told me that the Police Department has issued a hush-hush policy when it comes to having contact with bloggers or the media.  Considering that the Public Information Office is being so tight lipped about releasing pertinent information to the media, it sure seems like the Department is trying to control the narrative.

First of all, this will never happen.  People talk.  Bloggers and media have sources.  This isn’t the USSR.

Secondly, this will backfire.  And badly.

If the North Miami Beach Police Department continues to frustrate the media by withholding important stories, they will become the story.

It won’t be pretty.

In fact, it’s already not pretty.

You might be able to fool Mother Nature, but you will never, EVER be able to fool the media.

We got your number.

Stephanie Kienzle
“Spreading the Wealth”