Sorry, might’ve been already said, I’m slowly catching up on the 20+ new pages. This likely isn’t a popular opinion but I thought the DA’s comment about how investigators kept going after being “second guessed” and having their “skills questioned” was interesting. I do recall some of the outrage public sent by way to the Sheriff’s social media pages, especially after some livestreams with her brother the the guys of the then PE YouTube channel, and how one of them seemed to repeatedly push the idea of how crazy and bad and unprofessional it was that Andy was at a potential place to search and they didn’t secure that area for hours and hours (and the tension that seemed palpable on their video and ultimately them parting ways on their channel awhile after, always found that interesting since it seemed clear to me that those remarks were a big difference of opinion between them but anyway, not the point of my comment now....)
I thought the DA’s comment was interesting because I feel like we’ve seen a lot of this in multiple cases, a kind of “us vs. them” mindset with the public and law enforcement and how sometimes public is frustrated why there hasn’t been arrests made yet or why it seems like they’re ignoring the “obvious” culprit of a crime, etc and etc. And I think those types of views, and the people who voice them, are only amplified in this age of 24 hours news cycles and social media. When she made that remark I couldn’t help but think of some of the comments I remember people making on their social media channels, about how the Sheriff was letting a killer get away with things and just some pretty intense remarks (people were understandably upset) but that mentality, especially if and when it comes in large volumes on social media, I don’t think helps any case and the pursuit of justice. I think it furthers this divide between the public and law enforcement and, I don’t know where I’m ending with this comment (so thanks if you’re still reading this!), ultimately hurts an already damaged relationship that deserves to be repaired. I can see both sides of it - being in the public and frustrated if you feel not enough is being done and the LE side of things where you know much more than the public but just cannot say and how that can often appear like you’re not doing “enough”. Her remark made me a bit disappointed and just reminded me of other cases (like in Daybell/Vallow people rightfully very angry at Gilbert Police and the death “investigation” of JR, and those who are angry that they “didn’t do anything”, which even if it’s the entire truth, I don’t think large scale public backlash and criticism helps push the police in a direction towards what the public ultimately wants). It’s disappointing but I see both sides, and I can see how it seeped into this case from the perspective of the DA and law enforcement.
I hope going forward public perception of them and their past actions will be shown to have been thorough, extensive, and that they were always trying to find Suzanne and when they couldn’t or didn’t, they focused on seeking justice for her murder. Of course we will hear more in the coming days and weeks and months. JMHO, hope it was ok to share.
