The last information dispensed in the Sherry Arnold case in Sidney, MT was by the FBI on Monday, Jan. 23, when FBI spokesperson Deborah Bertram told the Sidney Herald that
“The FBI continues to investigate Ms. Arnold’s disappearance.”
You would think that everyone would understand that this is a given, since the case remains open; But, then again, to those unfamiliar with law enforcement protocols and procedures it really isn’t. And, thus, the Sidney Herald sought some sort of information to share with its online readers, and the Sidney, MT townsfolk wanting answers from LE about what is being done to find the missing math teacher’s body and bring her killer(s) to justice.
“Because we have an ongoing investigation, I cannot discuss what resources we are using or how many agents are involved,” Bertram said.
The FBI spokesperson was hoping to appease a growing body of people who desire a little more information than is being dished out at this particular point in time in the investigation. So she gave them a soundbite.
While some of the Sidney Herald readers--and other news readers online--deign to wait patiently for news that will eventually come, there are still others who question why law enforcement (LE) has to play this case so close to the vest and be so stingy with details.
This is especially true in light of the fact that the LE community often uses the public to aid in an investigation. And, in fact, has done so with this case to some degree. So the lack of additional information makes some speak out.
“I have a hard time believing they can’t say how many agents they are using and if they are actively searching,” a poster named Concerned said on Monday.
Another reader, however, wanted some basic LE information that doesn’t really endanger a case, but would help readers understand the process better, ruminating that they
“Wonder if the reason they requested help from landowners is because they can’t legally search private property without a search warrant.” Just Wondering also wondered if LE can go wherever they need to without a warrant.
These readers are expressing one of the specific problems that exist between the local law enforcement agencies around the country and the premier law enforcement agency for the U.S.: a lack of info.
While the FBI and local law enforcement agencies such as the police departments and the sheriff offices work together and get along well for the most part, there are also those times when too little information passes between hands (and there are both good and bad reasons for this that justify it in some cases).
Sherry Arnold case and linkage blindness
There’s a term in LE called linkage blindness, and the public who desires information about the Sherry Arnold case is experiencing it. They, on the one hand, have no idea what law enforcement, on the other hand, is doing in the case.
If the local law enforcement agency in Sidney, MT (or anywhere else) isn’t privy to pertinent information in, say, Williston, N.D. (or another LE agency in their own jurisdiction) then a criminal is the better for it.
Criminals in this global community age rely on police not sharing details about crimes or other data with their counterparts locally, state-wide or federally in order to avoid detection.
Online readers, townsfolk wanting answers, LE wanting silence
But police are routinely territorial, wanting to hold onto a case and its details in-house, so to speak. They are also very guarded with other agencies, fearful that the other police might have less tongue-tied detectives or loose-lipped deputies who will spill info that doesn’t need to be leaked, potentially risking case or prosecution success in the end.
When the FBI gets involved in a local case, like the missing Montana teacher Sherry Arnold’s disappearance, you can expect a certain caution between them and everyone else--local LE, the press and the public at large. They are typically, therefore, more tight-lipped than the local law.
So when you get a case of national attention, which has drawn the FBI in as the lead agency, you get even more tight-lipped operations for the public to deal with, generally, as a rule. That's what is happening in the Sherry Arnold case, partially. The other aspect to that case is that, yes, the reader "Concerned" is correct.
The FBI could say how many agents are being used and if they are actively searching. But another reader explains why they think they aren't.
"It only makes people wonder if they have anything to go on," Farmer wrote about the FBI's silence.
Profile
One key thing to remember in any law enforcement investigation is simply this: If a police department, sheriff's office or state or federal LE agency has a case tied up neatly and with all its ducks in a row, then you will get more information metted out to the public as a rule of thumb.
The quieter law enforcement is, the more likely that they don't have everything they need to bring about an arrest or successful prosecution to the full extent of the law that they would hope, and they are making every effort to do so still.
Additionally, as may possibly be the situation in the Sherry Arnold case, like the John P. Wheeler case, law enforcement agencies don't want to be preceived as dropping the ball in any shape or form if the case or prosecution goes south later, so the less they say now the easier it will be at that later date to disown failure.
References: Sidney Herald, LE formal education and background
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