Leave it to an armed and dangerous madman to spoil the fun for everyone.
For more than a week, Joseph Jakubowski was the subject of a nationwide manhunt. Numerous law enforcement agencies were looking 24/7 for the Janesville man who stole high-end guns there last week, torched his car and took off on the lam.
He wrote a manifesto of some 160 pages, outlining his grievances with the government. (Seriously, who has that many grievances?) And amidst all the craziness, he reportedly made nefarious threats against area schools and churches. (We learned later in the week that his writings made no mention of schools; that information came from a tipster.)
In what turned out to be, thankfully, an abundance of caution, area schools, including Monroe, were on "soft" lockdown for the past week (which means exterior doors were locked and there was no outside recess) and had police squads stationed near school grounds.
Even knowing what we know now, I have no quarrel with the district's decision to go into lockdown mode. Those are our children we're talking about. But I do have a lot of sympathy for the teachers and staff who were trying to keep the kids entertained inside, day after day. Spring has finally sprung and the kids just want to be outside - where they belong - running, tagging, squealing, doing what kids do at recess.
The lack of outdoor recess wore on my fourth-grader by midweek. Even she understands the cruel irony of the lockdown happening now, rather than in January when subzero windchills often force indoor recess anyway.
"I just want outside recess," she said glumly.
My seventh-grader reported similar frustration. Instead of going outside at lunch, where presumably there's a lot of standing around to be done, kids could play volleyball inside.
That sounds like fun, I said, trying to cast it in a positive light. I just got an eyeroll.
Law enforcement had no shortage of tips to follow up on through the week. And if you want to see a great example of how a local police department handled the report of suspicious activity while keeping the public informed, look no further than the Darlington Police Department, led by Chief Jason King.
Last Sunday, as reported sightings of Jakubowski and tips as to his whereabouts were pouring into law enforcement agencies, Darlington police posted on its Facebook about an incident in which an unknown man was reported standing across from the Catholic church, looking at it, and then crossing the street.
Of course, it was probably nothing. Maybe it was just some guy waiting for his dog to do its business behind a bush. Or maybe it was an armed and dangerous man with a whole lot of grievances who meant to do harm.
You just never know.
All tips should be reported to law enforcement. But how much should law enforcement share with the public? Some cops think it's best to keep a tight lid on information. There's no point in getting the public concerned without cause, plus there's the concern about copycat crimes.
I get that. To a certain point.
But I believe that people (the vast majority) can handle the full truth and deserve all the information as it becomes available. (Hence, my career choice.)
Nature abhors a vacuum, and the truth of human nature is that when details are lacking, people will fill in the gaps themselves. (And those details are always worse than the truth.) The advent of social media has only hastened the sharing process to a speed of which we never before dreamed. We used to spread rumor and innuendo over the back fence or a beer at the corner tavern. Now it's on Facebook as fast as you can click "Share."
And so Chief King and others in law enforcement are wise to get out there, in front of the story, and control it on the same platform where it has the most potential to go astray. Like they did Sunday with frequent updates on the mystery man near the church - whose identity will apparently remain a mystery.
Based on the comments from residents, they appreciated the information and updates. As a journalist, an area resident and a parent, so did I.
Jakubowski was captured in Vernon County early Friday morning. Monroe didn't have school Friday, and my fourth-grader got to play outside with a friend. With a little luck, everything will be back to normal at school Monday: Outdoor recess with plenty of running, tagging, squealing, and no doubt the collective sighs of some very relieved teachers.
Just pray it doesn't rain.
- Mary Jane Grenzow is editor of the Monroe Times.
She can be reached at
editor@themonroetimes.com.
Her column appears on Saturdays.
For more than a week, Joseph Jakubowski was the subject of a nationwide manhunt. Numerous law enforcement agencies were looking 24/7 for the Janesville man who stole high-end guns there last week, torched his car and took off on the lam.
He wrote a manifesto of some 160 pages, outlining his grievances with the government. (Seriously, who has that many grievances?) And amidst all the craziness, he reportedly made nefarious threats against area schools and churches. (We learned later in the week that his writings made no mention of schools; that information came from a tipster.)
In what turned out to be, thankfully, an abundance of caution, area schools, including Monroe, were on "soft" lockdown for the past week (which means exterior doors were locked and there was no outside recess) and had police squads stationed near school grounds.
Even knowing what we know now, I have no quarrel with the district's decision to go into lockdown mode. Those are our children we're talking about. But I do have a lot of sympathy for the teachers and staff who were trying to keep the kids entertained inside, day after day. Spring has finally sprung and the kids just want to be outside - where they belong - running, tagging, squealing, doing what kids do at recess.
The lack of outdoor recess wore on my fourth-grader by midweek. Even she understands the cruel irony of the lockdown happening now, rather than in January when subzero windchills often force indoor recess anyway.
"I just want outside recess," she said glumly.
My seventh-grader reported similar frustration. Instead of going outside at lunch, where presumably there's a lot of standing around to be done, kids could play volleyball inside.
That sounds like fun, I said, trying to cast it in a positive light. I just got an eyeroll.
Law enforcement had no shortage of tips to follow up on through the week. And if you want to see a great example of how a local police department handled the report of suspicious activity while keeping the public informed, look no further than the Darlington Police Department, led by Chief Jason King.
Last Sunday, as reported sightings of Jakubowski and tips as to his whereabouts were pouring into law enforcement agencies, Darlington police posted on its Facebook about an incident in which an unknown man was reported standing across from the Catholic church, looking at it, and then crossing the street.
Of course, it was probably nothing. Maybe it was just some guy waiting for his dog to do its business behind a bush. Or maybe it was an armed and dangerous man with a whole lot of grievances who meant to do harm.
You just never know.
All tips should be reported to law enforcement. But how much should law enforcement share with the public? Some cops think it's best to keep a tight lid on information. There's no point in getting the public concerned without cause, plus there's the concern about copycat crimes.
I get that. To a certain point.
But I believe that people (the vast majority) can handle the full truth and deserve all the information as it becomes available. (Hence, my career choice.)
Nature abhors a vacuum, and the truth of human nature is that when details are lacking, people will fill in the gaps themselves. (And those details are always worse than the truth.) The advent of social media has only hastened the sharing process to a speed of which we never before dreamed. We used to spread rumor and innuendo over the back fence or a beer at the corner tavern. Now it's on Facebook as fast as you can click "Share."
And so Chief King and others in law enforcement are wise to get out there, in front of the story, and control it on the same platform where it has the most potential to go astray. Like they did Sunday with frequent updates on the mystery man near the church - whose identity will apparently remain a mystery.
Based on the comments from residents, they appreciated the information and updates. As a journalist, an area resident and a parent, so did I.
Jakubowski was captured in Vernon County early Friday morning. Monroe didn't have school Friday, and my fourth-grader got to play outside with a friend. With a little luck, everything will be back to normal at school Monday: Outdoor recess with plenty of running, tagging, squealing, and no doubt the collective sighs of some very relieved teachers.
Just pray it doesn't rain.
- Mary Jane Grenzow is editor of the Monroe Times.
She can be reached at
editor@themonroetimes.com.
Her column appears on Saturdays.
