Okay, so it's been more than a year. Get over it. I was busy. More accurately, I didn't have anything to say. All that is about to change. I'm headed home Feb. 28, back to the New Britain Herald. More on that later. Rest assured however I'll be posting more regularly. I promise.

Here's the bee in my bonnet that has forced me to speak up. If I'm lucky, I'll turn it into a story for the paper, but for now, here are my rambling thoughts.

Number one, one would assume that one becomes a journalist to speak the truth. However, the reality is, the truth is subject to editing, advertising pressures and frankly the amount of time you have to produce the number of articles an editor wants you to produce, regardless of whether or not they reflect the truth. Naturally, you're probably asking yourself, well how can that be? Isn't the press the government watch dogs, the savior of the truth? Yah, well, try producing that on deadline while the person in charge is demanding you also finish that feature on the local woman who can hold three goldfish in her mouth and not barf. (For the record, no I have never been asked to produce that story, nor do I know anyone who can do that, nor have any goldfish been harmed or intentionally maligned in the course of writing this post).

Anyway, the point is, unfortunately reporting is subject to the same economic pressures that any other business is. If you're lucky however, you can satisfy a good editor who is genuinely interested in pointing out issues that affect the public and your high ideals at the same time.

The first time I wrote about legislation sponsored by Kevin Witkos, I did neither. This wasn't the fault of my editor at the time. It was my own lack of knowledge and desire not to rock the boat. Okay, I get it, I'll never do that again. Learning to be a great cops reporter is a process, not a given.

Instead I wrote the perfunctory piece on how as a state assembly member Witkos sponsored legislation requiring school superintendants to be notified when a sex offender either moves into their town or when a current resident is convicted of a sex offense.

On the surface I suppose this sounds like a brilliant idea. I mean who is in favor of sex offenders?

But, here a few pratfalls to this plan which did become law:

Number one: Just what exactly does Senator Witkos, and in fact, the entire legislature, expect a superintendent to do with this information? Are school superintendents qualified in sex offender risk assessment? I'm guessing not. Obviously, they do have a few alternatives. They can seek the help of the local police department to determine if in fact this person would be a risk to children in their area. They can also blast out the information to parents thus risking a colossal law suit for the entire school system and making the children of said, the same "clients" they are well paid to educate and serve, offender pariahs in their own community. I do know that at least some police departments routinely assess the risk of sex offenders moving into their community and notify neighbors and schools if they feel the risk is justified. I also know that this is probably not happening in every community. I also know this: when I was a kid, my parents didn't let me go anywhere unless they knew the parents of the other kid well. In other words, hey it's probably a good idea to know who your kids are with.

Now I'm digressing, but here's the point, (again, please note it's 5:49 a.m. and this isn't a finished piece but merely my rambling thoughts) as a police officer, Witkos should know that in the state of Connecticut, there are in fact very few "stranger danger" abductions or sex assaults. In nearly every case, and he can verify this through his own department and the departments of surrounding towns, the child victim of a sex assault knows his abuser. And it's most likely a family member, a new significant other or a family friend - according to Meriden, New Britain, Southington, Wallingford, and Cheshire police, all police departments that I have interviewed on this topic in the past. I'm guessing the same holds true for the town of Canton where Witkos works.

By somehow suggesting (and legislating) that children will be better protected by sending out an alert to their school superintendent, Witkos, and the entire legislature, are blatantly ignoring not only the reality of child sex assaults but also giving parents a false sense of security. I guess I could argue that this was a win-win for the legislature. They look like they are tough on crime and protecting children and they're betting there's not going to be much harm done - after all, I want to know which school superintendent is actually going to act on alerting parents without seeking input from at least their local police department.

Here’s a thought: Perhaps it would have been a bit more productive to sponsor legislation requiring school systems to stop focusing on “stranger danger” and give parents a more realistic view of who could potentially molest their children.

Now that I've given you at least something to chew on (including the tidbit that yes, even I, the self-proclaimed crime wonder reporter can publish something utterly ridiculous on occasion) here's the source of my real angst this fine morning: I found out last night Witkos is suggesting more legislation.

"AN ACT CONCERNING THE PENALTY FOR THE SEXUAL ASSAULT OF A MINOR. To provide that any person who sexually assaults a minor under certain circumstances will have only "one-strike" and be sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. Introduced by: Sen. Kevin D. Witkos, 8th Dist."

You can bet this time around, I won't be publishing anything without looking into the reality of the implications of this law.

Allow me to draw two conclusions from this post: In most cases, self-reflection is never a bad thing. And it's never too late to speak the truth, even if it's at 6 a.m. and you don't care if you're using good grammar, good spelling or even if your ramblings make sense.

Happy Birthday Kevin

If you ever doubt that God has a subtle hand in what you're doing every day, you need to read this post. One of my stories in The Herald today features a 23-year-old Farmington man whose parents attempted to hide his drunken driving accident. You can question why I chose to name the parents or do the story at all, but not until after you hear about my brother-in-law Kevin. The youngest of three sons, Kevin was a blond-haired bright spot, always ready with a joke, always appreciating the wonder and humor in life. He opted to join the Army after high school and traveled the world, often sharing his "MRE"s, freeze-dried meals with poor children. He'd send home funny letters and once showed up on my doorstep unexpectedly to play with my daughters Jenn and Katie, then about three-and-a-half and two. They don't remember him and likely couldn't even pick out his face in family photos. Kevin died in June 1986 on the day he graduated from Sergeant's school. He was headed for San Francisco to celebrate with his girlfriend. It was later determined that most likely he took his eyes off the wheel for a moment - and strayed into the path of a tractor trailer truck. The ripples from his death are still felt today, especially on this day, what would have been his 44th birthday. He never had a chance to marry, have children, watch his neices grow up or even meet his brother Danny's children. His parents are both gone as well, after struggling for years to carry the burden of the death of their youngest son. One of the 12 priests that stood attendance at his funeral said, "For Kevin, life was always a bowl of cherries." That was a very true observation. I spent some of the best times of my life trading barbs and jokes with him at my in-laws kitchen table during Sunday dinner. It was a family tradition, and a way of life, that ended with his death. If you can still genuinely question why I would print a story about a kid driving drunk, doing drugs, or otherwise doing something that could literally throw their life, and the lives of their family away in a second, may God bless you as you sit down to share a meal with the people you love most. Happy birthday Kevin.

http://www.newbritainherald.com/articles/2010/01/25/news/doc4b5e5cbdda20c339598301.txt

Did they do enough?

As promised, an update on the John Kalisz killings in Florida. Did police and prosecutors do enough to prevent a tragedy?

Two schools of thought: the information gathered in Connecticut should have been shared with the woman prosecuting the case; the other - nothing would have prevented this and he was punished appropriately for the crimes he was charged with. What do you think?

http://www.newbritainherald.com/articles/2010/01/19/news/doc4b56767dc1423360199660.txt

Interview with a killer

Okay I admit it, the heading is misleading. I didn't interview a killer, but Farmington and Plainville police did. It's unclear whether Florida authorities knew the depth of John Kalisz's recent history in Connecticut when they sentenced him to probation in October. I'll find out more today.

http://www.newbritainherald.com/articles/2010/01/18/news/doc4b551d7576b3e948257893.txt

Photo follies

Aha!

It just took me two days to figure out how to post photos (see previous post about wrench tossing . . .) but I did it.

Here's the story to go with the mug.

http://www.newbritainherald.com/articles/2009/12/01/news/doc4b15dd0b5b34a094445717.txt

If I pull this off I'll be impressed

Is this going to work? You're literally watching a work in progress, or more accurately a dork in progress. I wasn't kidding when I said I have no clue what I'm doing. And I tend to be . . . stubborn . . . so asking for help is . . . not an option. Until of course, I'm so frustrated, I throw a wrench (oh wait, I'm not fixing the lawnmower, am I?). Well here goes: Today's most read story. Leave a comment here or there, doesn't matter. But don't be crass. I'm in control, remember?

http://www.newbritainherald.com/articles/2010/01/13/news/doc4b4e893531b14375441337.txt

Here we go . . .

Allow me to say this upfront. I have no clue what I'm doing. I have an amazing job. At times it's annoying, joyful, informative, eye-opening, eye-popping, frustrating and awe-inspiring - and all that can happen in the span of a few hours. I am a crime reporter for The New Britain Herald. I write about all manner of pestulance, brutality, and humanity on a daily basis, mostly without batting an eyelash, while wearing high heels.

Here's what I hope to accomplish: to change the world. Yup. I wish I could have thought of something a little more focused, but what do you expect from a woman who covered a chick brawl outside a courthouse, a long-standing fued over a garbage truck and one of the most highly regarded digital investigators in the country all in one afternoon - today. Here are my adventures. As my brother so artfully placed on his as yet (thankfully) empty gravestone, "Life's a journey, enjoy the ride."