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