Reaching out to give information (5/20/03)

Sometimes people surprise you.

Gathering information over the weekend for news stories regarding the deaths of rural Portland residents Greg and Marianne Moser and Jeff and Eileen Bickel of Portland required multiple phone calls.

Many of their local friends and co-workers provided kind and comforting words in a time when the community is struggling to come to grips with the loss.

But the facts of what had happened had to come from the police several hundred miles from here and federal investigators called to the scene there Friday night.

Obtaining information from local police officials most times is routine. A rapport with the media has been established over years, and a sense of trust exists which eases the process.

The same can't be said for other police departments, which choose not to return phone calls or provide requested information. Some insist information is not available or can't be released, while others decline to provide the information by phone and suggest that reporters go to the police station or courthouse to obtain the facts — something usually not possible because of the miles involved or the realities of deadlines.

With this in mind, calls to the Allendale County Sheriff's Department in South Carolina were made Sunday afternoon. What followed was the equivalent of one small town reaching out to another in a time of sorrow.

Syrina Gray, a 911 dispatcher at the sheriff's department, answered the first call. Obviously eager to help, she reached Sheriff Tom Carter by cell phone and relayed the message that information about the crash was being sought by a newspaper in the victims' hometown. Although he had spent most of Friday and Saturday at the scene and was back there again Sunday, Carter authorized Gray to give out his cell phone number so that he could take the call.

While on site to assist Federal Aviation Administration investigator Laurin Kaasa, Carter took all the time needed to relay information from eyewitness accounts of the accident and other pertinent facts pertaining to the investigation. He then handed his phone to Kaasa, who spent a few minutes answering questions. Carter and Kaasa both said they would provide additional information and reports Monday, and they did.

It would have been easy for Gray, Carter and Kaasa to opt not to be helpful. But it's likely that thought never crossed their minds, as all three conveyed their condolences to the local community over the loss of the crash victims.

Strangers reached out to strangers, and with that a grieving community has some answers as to what happened early Friday night.

Sometimes people surprise you. — B.W.[[In-content Ad]]