The Milwaukee Post

July 12, 2013 • Milwaukee Post • 9 OPINION Cop sues TV station over report Irresponsible promo ran even though cop cleared Matt Knight did two tours in Afghanistan. He wasn't about to allow some pissants from an irresponsible TV station to destroy his reputation. That's why Knight, an honored Milwaukee police officer, is suing WTMJ-TV Channel 4. The smearing of Knight by Channel 4 is a remarkable story As bad as the news media . can be, it is still astonishing that something as reckless as this could have happened at a TV station owned by a major newspaper company and fronted by respected anchorpeople. But it did happen. Officer Knight was on duty February 16 when a rowdy guy smashed the window of a taxi cab. Knight apprehended the man on the scene and found he was an active duty soldier who was on leave. The man was extremely repentant and offered to pay for the damage. The cab driver said he was willing to let things go so long as he got $300 to fix his window. All agreed. Officer Knight, rather than blow off the situation, accompanied the window smasher to an ATM where he withdrew $300. Knight counted the money and returned with the man to give the money to the cab driver. As it happens, a security guard witnessed what happened at the ATM. He saw a cop seemingly forcing a man to give him $300. The guard obtained the security video which, indeed, appeared to show a cop robbing a man. He gave it to the FBI. It notified Milwaukee police which conducted a full investigation. Officer Knight was totally cleared. That's when Channel 4 popped in. It requested the video on March 26 and was immediately told by police internal affairs officials what had happened and that Knight was cleared. But – and this is the stunning part – the station took the video anyway and sat on it for six weeks. It waited for the May "sweeps" month period that is critical for local TV ratings. And then, for an entire weekend, Channel 4 ran a promo featuring the video and Officer Knight's face. The narrator stated: "It's the video that will have everyone talking. A Milwaukee police officer taking a man's cash out of an ATM and then walking away with that cash. The explosive I-team investigation Monday night." The promo ran all weekend. Not only was Knight stunned to see his face on TV linked to an apparent robbery Milwaukee police , officials were outraged. Chief Ed Flynn held a news conference Monday morning to rip the irresponsible Channel 4. That night, the TV station ran a story by reporter Jermont Terry that acknowledged Officer Perry did nothing wrong. There was no story There was only a mis. leading video that Channel 4 ran incessantly to lure viewers to watch a newscast on totally false pretenses. Since that time, Channel 4 has refused to publicly apologize to Officer Knight and its viewers. Last week, Knight sued. Channel 4 still isn't apologizing, or, for that matter, saying anything else. The story's producer, Lindsey Morone, has her own website (I didn't know TV producers had their own websites, either). On it, she posts her résumé (??) and some fascinating quotes. Among them: "She likes to stir things up and do things differently ." She changed her resume a few days ago and deleted a few other lines including one about her strong editorial judgment. Morone and Terry two mostly anonymous , hacks from a TV station, smeared a decent man for the sake of a misleading promo. They didn't even have a story But what is . harder to process is how they were allowed to pull off their hit on Officer Knight. Channel 4's general manager is Steve Wexler. He hired me 25 years ago at WISN. He's a decent guy It is impossible to under. stand how something like this could happen on his watch. It is even harder to figure why Wexler hasn't gotten this awful story behind him by apologizing to his viewers and holding his people accountable. Mike Jacobs and Carole Meekins have been at Channel 4 a long time. (In Jacobs' STANDING UP for MILWAUKEE MARK BELLING case, well over 30 years.) They almost certainly had nothing to do with the story or the promo, but they anchored the newscast in which it ran. It is weird that neither of them objected or publicly disassociated themselves from the awful work of Terry and Morone. Long after Lindsey Morone and Jermont Terry bop off to the next market in their insignificant TV careers, Jacobs and Meekins will be here. Do they not understand how this story damages them? Channel 4's promo was an attempt to chase ratings without consideration of the ramifications on Knight and, in the end, the station itself. But to continue the damage by continuing to air reports by Jermont Terry and Lindsey Morone is inexplicable. Does the station really think this column is good for it? As for Officer Knight, he fought the Taliban in Afghanistan. He isn't going to allow Channel 4 to kill his good name. (Mark Belling is the host of a daily WISN radio talk show. His column appears weekly in the Milwaukee Post. Send your personal correspondences to Mark Belling at Clear Channel Communications, c/o WISN, 12100 W. Howard Ave., Greenfield, WI 53228). Stopping the spread of synthetic cannabinoids Operation targets 'state of emergency,' results in 25 arrests By J.B. VAN HOLLEN Synthetic marijuana and bath salts have attracted considerable attention recently . The increasing sale and use of these illegal substances in communities across Wisconsin is concerning to state and local law enforcement. What may be most troubling are the measures undertaken by those who attempt to manufacture these synthetics – ever so slightly altering the chemical composition in an attempt to evade enforcement, prosecution and regulatory efforts. The Wisconsin Department of Justice takes the threats posed by these synthetics seriously The Attorney General's Office, . the department's Division of Criminal Investigation and the State Crime Laboratory have partnered with the state Legislature, the Wisconsin Controlled Substances Board and other local, county , state and federal officials to find solutions to these complex enforcement, investigative and regulatory issues presented by these substances. One of the communities hit hardest by synthetic controlled substances is the Lac du Flambeau Reservation in north-central Wisconsin. In April of this year, the LDF tribal government declared a "state of emergency citing increased emergency ," medical calls, domestic violence, other criminal activity and a widespread perception of social degradation caused by synthetic marijuana. Something had to be done. Fortunately the Native American Drug , and Gang Initiative was poised to help. Under the leadership of the Division of Criminal Investigation, the NADGI represents the first and last line of defense. Several tribal law enforcement agencies – Bad River, Ho-Chunk Nation, Lac Courte Oreilles, Menominee, Oneida, Red Cliff, St. Croix, Stockbridge-Munsee and the Lac du Flambeau police departments – make up the core of this interjurisdictional, interagency drug and gang task force serving Wisconsin's Native American communi- ties. Seeking input from tribal communities, the NADGI quickly developed a multipronged strategy to tackle the threat posed by synthetics. The first prong involved broad-based community outreach and awareness training. Since April, NADGI agents have trained more than 3,000 community members, tribal government leaders, educators, first responders, and other professionals on the dangers of synthetics. A productive dialogue resonated from this outreach, helping to strengthen those communities and facilitating a wave of "drug tips." Information provided by concerned community members has helped inform and shape enforcement strategies. Operation Pandora, a NADGI-led and coordinated, street-level enforcement initiative, was developed specifically to target those involved in the manufacture, distribution and use of synthetic marijuana and other controlled substances in Wisconsin's Native American communities. Operation Pandora culminated in late June with the execution of several search warrants and the arrest of 25 individuals in the Lac du Flambeau tribal community This action . has made a significant impact. The NADGI also worked closely with several others in the region – the sheriff's offices in Vilas, Oneida, Price, Forest and Lincoln counties, Wabeno and Merrill police departments and the Great Lakes Indian Fish & Wildlife Commission. Without these strong law enforcement and multidisciplinary partnerships, Operation Pandora would not have been nearly as successful. While I am deeply troubled by the spread of synthetic marijuana and other illegal substances in Wisconsin, I am extremely proud of the work by the DCI, NADGI and the tribal law enforcement partners who helped make Operation Pandora a success. I am also encouraged by the various approaches that have been undertaken through legislative and regulatory channels. Until we have eradicated synthetics from our communities, schools, churches and parks, our public safety mission is incomplete. I am confident that the efforts of the NADGI through investigations like Operation Pandora will send a clear message that the manufacture, distribution and use of synthetics will not be tolerated. (J.B. Van Hollen is the Wisconsin attorney general.)

• Cover