Eugene weekly., May 11, 2017, Page 14, Image 14

Mike Weber If you don’t like what they’re saying, don’t blame
me. This group is your community. As a whole, when you put
these comments in a bowl, you’re looking at what a majority of
people thinks. This is what you’re up against.
Like · Reply · 3 · 2 hrs
says. “Sometimes issues have popped up on the mugshots
page and then, when it gets brought to our attention, it
allows us the chance to address it.”
She says LCMU has also shown a willingness to share
EPD social media posts, “which is helpful in getting the
news and alerts in front of more people.”
Understandably, McLaughlin is tight-lipped about any
specifics regarding particular cases LCMU might have
influenced, though it’s easy to imagine that every cop on
the force keeps a continuous eye on the page, if only out
of the same morbid curiosity that drives us all. After all,
LCMU is to crime junkies what ESPN is to sports fanatics:
a never-ending flow of the good stuff.
McLaughlin suggests that LCMU users remember that
a phone call to the police department about an incident
of concern is far more effective than sending a link to a
Facebook page — a suggestion that might imply people are
so busy trolling online, they forget the basics. If someone is
about to get hit by a car, texting them “Watch out!” might
people that comment, they’d just like the homeless and
drug addicts to go away. People are just saying ‘kill the
homeless.’ Ridiculous,” he says.
“The whole thing, all of it, just fascinates me,” Weber
says. “It’s as addictive as any drug. You will watch the
same group of people say some real vile things, and then
stick up for a family that something bad’s happened to.
They’ll all come together.”
“If there’s one thing this group is all about, it’s law and
order,” he explains.
Helping the Man
Certainly, Lane County Mugshots Uncensored has had
an impact on local law enforcement. Melinda McLaughlin,
a spokesperson for the Eugene Police Department, says
that LCMU members have directed the cops to postings or
provided tips that aid in ongoing investigations. “We know
we have had information come in that was helpful,” she
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14
May 11, 2017 • eugeneweekly.com
not be the most effective lifesaver.
“It is difficult for an officer or detective to follow
up on a tip coming from a closed group on Facebook,”
McLaughlin explains, “and much easier if we have a phone
number or email to speak with people directly.”
News of the World
Todd Milbourn, an investigative reporter and University
of Oregon professor in the School of Journalism, says sites
like Lane County Mugshots Uncensored harken back the
police blotters from newspapers of yore, where cops-and-
robbers battled it out in print, Dragnet-style. “There is
certainly some of that feel,” he says. “Let’s face it: People
are hungry to understand the challenges of public safety in
their communities.”
Perhaps surprisingly, considering his status as an
established journalist, Milbourn has a generally positive
view about renegade sites like LCMU. Unlike more