In the beginning...

Welcome to the Blue Review. The idea for this forum came at a time when local law enforcement was becoming the target of some pretty unsavory media attacks. You may well remember the stories printed recently about Officer Chris Pickering of the Paradise Police Department, a sensationalistic story pegging Officer Pickering as a corrupt Officer, based entirely on unsubstantiated allegations. If not, you will when you read Jim Parrott's excellent post.

For years, law enforcement has basically stood silent in the face of such attacks. After all, we know the truth, so who cares what some reporter thinks? But this response is not enough. Public opinion is formed from the information they see and read in the local media, television shows, movies, etc. If that media constantly portrays law enforcement in a negative light, then it’s no surprise when we contact people who have no respect for the Police. I always thought it somewhat of a “Catch-22” that the only forum that we have had to respond to media criticism is through those same media outlets. I’ve found the “blogosphere” to be the perfect venue to help challenge this paradigm.

This post’s goal is to be a “fourth media” of sorts for the citizens of Chico. We will provide information, opinion, and stories that will not be marginalized or editorialized. This forum will help to keep the other news sources in check.

Unlike news media sources, we are receiving no money for our efforts. Our goal is to provide “Chicoans” with clear sources of information provided with upfront integrity. Our survival does not depend on advertizing and therefore we do not have to concoct or generate sensational stories to improve our readership. Our names will clearly be displayed on the stories that we post. We will not hide behind pseudonyms and will be as upfront as possible.

As Police Officers, we are bound by rules. Some of these rules are that we are not allowed to undermine the policies of the Chief and the Department. This is fine, and is not one of the goals of this forum. We cannot give vital information regarding cases that have not been adjudicated. What we can do though is comment on information put forth in the media, whether it is spin, hyperbole, completely misleading, or even accurate for that matter.

A great man once told me, “Never argue with someone who buys ink by the barrel full”. He was right then and I miss his wise counsel greatly, but this is a different time. One of the greatest gifts of the internet is that the common man has a forum to be heard. He is not forced to hear the truth strained through the filter of the usual information media sources and his words can now be heard directly.

We hope that you enjoy coming to and searching out information in the Blue Review. We have some great Officers who are willing to share their opinions and stories. For your convenience, we have placed links to the main media outlets in the Chico area so that you can “shop and compare”. There are three sides to any story, yours, mine and the truth. Hopefully this site will help you in your search for truth.