It’s old news. Constable Mike Dupree has resigned amid allegations of misconduct and creating a “hostile work environment”. Perhaps what is most tragic most about this entire incident is simply, the Constable was forced to resign before he could be given an opportunity to defend himself. Even worse, his sudden departure gave the impression he was guilty. The local media, ever so eager to get the “scoop” compounded the problem.
The events leading to his resignation will not be reported here. There are plenty of newspaper stories chronicling the demise of the Constable.
Dupree is not the first and sadly, not the last person who will be forced to resign, leave office or otherwise abandon their livelihood or political appointments due to sensational stories in the media. On dallasvoice.com, the question of the week was “Should Constable Mike Dupree have resigned or stayed to fight charges against him?” Before news of his resignation was made public, an overwhelming number of readers voted for his resignation.
This should come as no surprise. Even before retired Judge Maryellen Hicks released a 67-page investigative report on Tuesday, readers of various weekly and other local papers were treated to tantalizing stores of sexual misconduct, abuse of power and a detailed report about the deportation of a scorned Latino lover. While it’s understood the press has always been the “watchdog of the government”, perhaps this was one of those cases where it would have been best to step back and let the system work to uncover the facts. The publishing of lurid reports from those involved may sell papers they have the unpleasant side effect of clouding the water making it much more difficult for officials to complete their tasks and properly investigate the accusations.
While these make for great reading and a marketing tool for paper to sell the dreaded white space on the pages, the news has long forgotten a cornerstone of our justice system. The defendant is innocent until proven guilty.
Of course the reading public is not naïve, the published report does conclude the Constable did act inappropriately, but the question we musk ask ourselves as readers is quite simply at what point do we contain our outrage based on what’s being reported and let our elected officials find the truth?
Now that Dupree is officially out of office, there is no shortage of opinions.
To see Judge Hicks report, go to:
www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/img/06-07/0627dupreereport.pdf
If link does not work, cut and paste address in new window.
