I was in Dallas police headquarters the other day, doing some research for a story, when I got the rare opportunity to see the inside of a Dallas public information officer’s office. Public information officers are the men and women you see on TV or quoted in the newspaper when a crime happens in Dallas – they are the official voice of the Dallas Police Department.
Anyway, while discussing a case with the officer I happened to notice post-it note on the wall near the telephone. At the top of the note it read, “Never Mention” and went on to list four things:
- Confessions
- How or why suspect was identified
- Evidence
- Weapon type
I’m guessing here, but it’s safe to assume that these pointers are designed to keep information from leaking to the public that would tip off any at-large suspects.
