Arrivederci, Cmdr. Martin

If there's anything that reporters covering crime know about public information officers, it's that they can either make your job fascinating or extremely difficult. Fortunately, retiring Merced Police Cmdr. Tom Martin fits in the former category.
After a law enforcement career with the Merced Police Department spanning nearly 30 years, today is Martin's last day on the job. And I am sad to see Martin, who worked as the public information officer, among a zillion other duties, leave because he's been a great help in keeping me in the loop, when it comes to tracking crime in Merced. On an average day at the Sun-Star, I probably call Martin on his cell phone at least six to 10 times (sometimes within a span of five minutes) to find out what's going down in the streets. No matter how many times I've called, however, he always did the best he could to answer my questions, which I appreciate.
I have not always had that experience with public information officers. Not long ago, when I was working for a daily in Southern California, the public information officer for a certain police department pretty much told me the first day on the job, "Don't call me -- ever. I'll call you." As a result, the only way I could ever get my stories was to make sure that I had a police scanner in my back pocket 24/7. There is a mentality -- at some, but not all police agencies -- that the job of the public information officer is to keep information from the press. Reporters understand that during an investigation there are some things police cannot say in order to solve a crime and arrest suspects. Still, reporters also have a duty to do the best they can to report the facts of a case to the public -- and a good public information officer understands that.
Needless to say, it was a relief to work with a public information officer like Martin who not only understood that fact -- but also regularly called me with tips and info, and was open to connecting me with investigators and providing perspective on various issues regarding law enforcement. His shoes will be tough to fill -- but I know that whatever chapter opens next in his life will be filled with success.
Thanks for your service, Tom Martin. I know you will be missed,