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About Keizertimes. (Salem, Or.) 1979-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 14, 2022)
EIZER times $1.00/ ISSUE Vol. 43 • No. 13 JANUARY 14, 2022 Guilty as Charged on Facebook A look at the Keizer Police Department’s use of social media BY JOEY CAPPELLETTI Of the Keizertimes On the morning of Nov. 10, 2021, Monica Batsell was driving her two chil- dren to school when she struck the back of a parked city of Keizer service truck. Keizer police arrived and upon investi- gation, arrested Batsell for driving under the infl uence of intoxicants, reckless endangerment and reckless endanger- ment of a highway worker, according to the Keizer Police Department. Two days later, the Keizer Police Department described the incident in a Facebook post that included Batsell’s name, age, hometown, arrest charges and photos of the crash. The post said that investigators believed “alcohol was a contributing factor to this crash” and that Batsell’s two children, who were minors, were in the car. Facebook’s verdict was immediate. Over 160 comments racked up on the post and it was shared 66 times. Many of the comments insulted Batsell as a mother, with some pointing out that she was a local business owner. “A disgusting woman/mom. No rea- son for her to have those children. They should be taken away from her. She has no respect for them nor herself! Should be in jail,” one comment said. Others wrote, “8 a.m. under the infl u- ence and driving with kids. Get some help before you kill someone,” and “Her chil- dren need to be taken away!” Batsell’s case highlights the aggressive use of social media by the Keizer Police Department. Hundreds of likes, com- ments and shares accrue on these posts as the public weighs in on incidents days after they’ve occurred. The department is unapologetic about their use of Facebook and say they don’t monitor comments Graphic by LOGAN TURBES of the Keizertimes How is it fair that somebody's worst moment, NEWSTAND PRICE: $1.00/ ISSUE everyone's allowed to have this entire conversation about it. Like this completely public stream where SUBSCRIBER ADDRESS : Disclaimer: Not an actual Keizer Police Department Facebook post. anyone can say anything. — MONICA BATSELL Keizer resident — nor do they plan to. “Who am I to regulate somebody's free speech? It truly is free speech. If you don't like what you're seeing, don't go to that website,” said Lt. Trevor Wenning, the Keizer Police Department's public infor- mation offi cer. It’s been almost two months since the incident and Batsell doesn’t defend her decision to drive that day. In an interview with the Keizertimes, Batsell said that she had been drinking late the night before and had woken up hungover — with alco- hol still in her bloodstream. She was blindsided, however, when she saw the police department’s post. “I saw a lot of like complete strangers sharing it on their own social media. It was like rapid fi re,” Batsell said. “I was get- ting hate mail from total strangers telling me that I needed my children taken away and that I'm a horrible mother. People even went so far as to dive and look into my criminal history and bring some of that stuff , which is over 11 years old.” Batsell said that she fell into a depres- sion after the incident and even changed her Facebook profi le to her maiden name in hopes it would make it more diffi cult for people to send hate messages. She said people even began commenting on her business's Facebook page. Phil Bay St. and Lockhaven Dr. Bay served on the city council from 1983 to 1991 and helped organize city services ranging from water and police to setting policies that still guide the city. He was also a founding member of the Keizer Heritage Foundation board, a volunteer fi refi ghter and a founding member of the Keizer Chamber of Commerce. On April 19, 2021, the Keizer City Council adopted a proclamation hon- oring Bay for his long history of service to the Keizer community, it included his own day, Sept. 10. dies at 85 Phil Bay, one of Keizer's orig- inal city councilors and most notable volunteers, passed away on the morning of Jan. 5 at the age of 85. A memorial service for Bay will take place at 1 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 17 at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints at the corner of 14th See FACEBOOK, page A2
