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Blog update
Time: 11:30 a.m. ET
Since I promised in this blog to give you an idea of what a job in cable news is like, read on:
If anyone needs any advice on how to get up fast, pack, drive through rush-hour traffic, park, walk into the train station and purchase a train ticket to N.Y. on the train, "I am your guy!" Yes, that was my morning drill... and I am good at the drill! That is how I spent the first part of my morning. But once I got to the train station (a little before 9 a.m.), I got a call from a FNC executive in NYC: "Where are you? We need you to go back to Ohio. Can you do that?" My answer, "Sure."
I turned around, went back to my car, piled my stuff back in the trunk, exited the lot and began to make calls for someone to help me find transportation back to Ohio. Meanwhile, I hurried back home and re-packed — I needed to add my camera gear, some additional clothes etc., to my previously packed clothes for NYC.
So, when I signed off last night saying we would air from New York tonight — well, not exactly — my husband, who has been my constant companion since 1979, asked me, "Are you ever going to get a normal job?" Not likely — at least not soon... (and I confess, there is some twisted part of me that likes the chaotic nature of the news. Remember, this happened to me last week. I got home on the redeye Saturday morning about 7 a.m., and the next day I was on a plane back to Los Angeles.)
I've posted some pictures today that I found on my camera from our recent trip to Los Angeles to interview Paris Hilton's aunt Kyle.
• Click here to check out my photo essay
The first picture on my camera is of Susan Estrich and Jim Hammer. Since I was in California and had seen neither in a long time, we got together at the hotel. Adam Housley was also there, but I did not get a picture of him — next time.
On Tuesday afternoon, several hours after walking through Jessie Davis’ house with her 20-year-old sister Whitney, I went into the sheriff’s department. The rather spacious waiting area in the department was empty except for one person: Jessie’s sister Whitney. She was alone. I felt bad about her and worried about her sitting there alone. I went over to her and sat down and talked to her. She was obviously distressed about her sister and I was distressed that she was sitting there alone. I asked her if the police were keeping her (and her family) abreast of the investigation, since that is obviously why she was there. She said she knew nothing about what was going on and police were not updating the family. She was just waiting… hoping to get an update. She was not complaining or critical, just distressed.
I explained there may be good investigative reasons for the police not to give her specific details (they do not want to jeopardize the investigation), but it did bother me that the police had not assigned someone to her and to the family to guide them through this rotten experience. It is not the role of the media to do so — although anyone in the media who would have stumbled upon her as I did would have had empathy for her there alone. Keeping a family informed or even consoled might be a great job for a rookie cop… it might be good for a new officer to experience the fear and terror of these families and perhaps develop a lifelong empathy that will make the officer a better one. It is very important to the families to have that connection with law enforcement at these times.
Families can often tell police are hustling to investigate and don’t want to be ingrates, but after time their imaginations can begin to run when they don’t get frequent updates and have close contact. This is painful to them. I have seen this over and over and over again. It can inadvertently become cruel to the families not to get information or frequent communication.
It seems to me that police in these instances could stay in almost hourly contact with the families. I don’t mean long, dragged-out conversations — since police are very, very busy. But rather 2 minute (tops) conversations. The police do not (and often should not) give information about the investigation, but even having someone say — often — to the family, "We are working hard on this… we have x number of detectives working on it… tests are being run at labs, etc.” would be helpful in easing some of the pain and, in the long run, avoiding the problems when families get mad at law enforcement.
A little communication and frequent communication is greatly appreciated. Families are not seeking to step on the investigations and they know resources are limited. What they can’t seem to handle is being left in the dark so that their imaginations might run wildly.
Yes, frequent police news conferences help, but it would be better to have more intimate conversations with a family representative. Families don't want to learn things on television or at press conferences.
By the way, what do you think of the L.A. City attorney's wife and the L.A. City attorney? E-mail your thoughts to: ontherecord@foxnews.com.
Bernie Grimm's brother saw the Video Blog of Bernie and Ted dancing. His brother called Bernie and said, "Could you make an announcement you are no relation to the Grimms of New Jersey?"
Now for some e-mails:
E-mail No. 1
Greta,
Holy cow! Your video blog with the "dancing legal panel" is such a hoot! I'm glad I figured out how to access them. Love the party pants, too. I gotta get back to work and quit watching this stuff. So funny.
Tracey O'Day
E-mail No. 2
Love your show and watch it every night before going to work! Just a thought on the pregnant Ohio woman who is missing:
The woman's mother said Jessie told her Cutts was coming to pick up the toddler the evening of her disappearance. Cutts disagreed and said Jessie was going to bring him to his house! Well, obviously the little boy never made it to his house!
Wouldn't he have tried to contact Jessie and see why she hadn't shown up? It appears he didn't try to contact her that night or the following days! Isn't that rather odd? Wouldn't Cutts have been worried about the boy not showing up, be worried about the possibility the mother might have been injured at the home etc. having not shown up or calling to say why she didn't bring the boy over? His story sounds like bunk to me!
I think that is a solid clue that Cutts knew or knows about the disappearance, whether is was directly involved or indirectly involved. He didn't seem to be too concerned about the welfare of the mother-to-be or his son!
Judy Cherbonneau
Hillsboro, NH
E-mail No. 3
Greta,
I live about 45 minutes from North Canton and have been watching you and the local news coverage of the case. One question I haven't heard answered: have the police searched other side of the duplex (the one were the neighbor out of town on vacation)? I ask because I know sometimes neighbors have keys and will go over to water the plants and bring in mail while they are out of town. What if she escaped her attacker and went to the attached neighbor's apartment to seek help or the attacker left her hidden in that apartment? You hate to think everyone is right their and not searching so close... remember the Ramsey Case or the missing children that were trapped in the truck whose mother was driving around in the car looking for them. Thanks for your coverage on the story.
Lori Kinney
Ashland, OH
E-mail No. 4
It breaks my heart to see those hamburger buns and crumbs laying on Blake's bed! Jessie's house was normally so clean and organized, it is unlikely she would ever leave food out in her kitchen. But she must have been tired and didn't finish putting everything away as she usually did. Thankfully, that was God's provision for little Blake — for the two year old to be able to reach that bread! He would have been too small to open a pantry door or call his grandmother or aunt on the telephone! Blake was given a way to find something to eat until an adult came to find him... Imagine that baby in his dark house alone all night long (especially after what he'd seen and heard)! Hopefully he fell asleep until daylight.
a.) Who could break-in and rough up a pregnant woman?!
b.) Who could abandon a toddler?!
Only a monster.
Michelle
Dallas, TX
E-mail No. 5
Greta,
You are sanctioning what I believe to be very nice salutations when one refers to one's boyfriend or girlfriend — under normal circumstances. Put it out there the way it really is so that people in the audience get that you get this is not a boyfriend/girlfriend situation. Jessie was having an affair with a married man. Butts is an adulterer.
All you do is make their relationship normal by continually referring to these two as boyfriend and girlfriend. Shame on you for normalizing their relationship.
Mary B. Heard
Triangle, VA
E-mail No. 6
[The L.A. City attorney] got the taxpayers to pay for the damage to the city car (when his wife crashed it 3 years ago), only recently paying for the damages himself... he basically defrauded the Los Angeles taxpayers of about twelve hundred bucks... he only paid it this week after the L.A. Times started digging around in this... she should go to jail... typical politicians.
Wendy Hall
E-mail No. 7
Hello Greta,
What's that saying? Those who live glass houses shouldn't throw stones. The L.A. City attorney Armadillo, or whatever his name is, should resign.
Jim
E-mail No. 8
He was driving with no insurance too? He should lose his job. Like I said earlier, she should be in jail. I'm in Arizona. I let my insurance on my car lapse because I wasn't driving it. I get a letter from the state of Arizona (Motor Vehicle Division) when it is time to renew my tags saying I owe a fine unless I can prove one of the three mitigating circumstances in the letter applied to me. Two that I could remember were 1. The vehicle was inoperable and required a signed letter from a mechanic verifying this. 2. I was not here to drive the vehicle (proof of absence required) and I don't remember the third reason.
Having a car but not driving it was not a mitigating factor so I had to pay a fine even though I didn't drive the car. (I drive very little. I have put 12,000 miles on the car in 7 years of ownership.) If I have to have insurance on a car just because I have a car even if it isn't driven, then the DA should be required to have insurance to drive the car(s) he drove. Fine him. Take away his job.
Joe Viera
Glendale, AZ
E-mail No. 9
Greta,
Do you really believe the prosecutor did not know his wife was driving without a license?
Richard
E-mail No. 10
OK, I think it's a sham the L.A. County prosecutor's wife has been AWOL regarding her bench warrants for traffic violations, etc., for nine years and was slapped on the wrist after a mere, "I am sorry."
However, there is on comparison to the situation with Paris Hilton and this evening's report glaringly omits the fact Paris has a DUI, if not one, but maybe two (I don't remember - but the one is definite).
DUI is nothing to be taken lightly as she could have killed someone while she was weaving all over the road. Did the prosecutor's wife have a DUI? If not... these two cases are not the same.
Paris broke probation regarding her DUI, was driving on a suspended license based on previous DUI, etc.
Both of these women deserve to do time in jail, but again, I feel the DUI bears more weight in terms of not allowing Paris to head home after a mere and meaningless apology.
Thank you,
Ms. Lark Logan
E-mail No. 11
Greta,
I'm steaming mad about this... please e-mail me what county or city name so that I CAN SEND a e-mail about it to the governor or someone.
Thankssssssssss
Lisa Fuller
FREE PARIS
E-mail No. 12
Greta,
You really come off looking cheap in your effort to compare the Hilton case with the wife of the L.A. County prosecutor.
You and your panel comparing a drunk driving case with the prosecutor's wife's case is unbelievable.
It's obvious you're star struck, but this was really a small, cheap, stunt.
R. Malone
Spokane, WA
ANSWER: Call me old fashioned, but I actually believe we should try and treat people alike. It is not about who we like and who we don't...
E-mail No. 13
Greta,
I hope that California doesn't let this prosecutor and his wife get away with this. After all, fair is fair! I wonder if Paris Hilton can sue them for discrimination? If nothing else, she can have a lot to say about it when she gets out.
Dorothy Terry
St. Augustine, FL
ANSWER: Paris would not prevail in a lawsuit. As long as her sentence was within the maximum time set by the legislature (even if much longer than others), it is legal.
E-mail No. 14
Again last evening we learned how broken the justice system is. Rocky Delgadillo belongs in the Mike Nifong hall of fame. I will never trust a prosecutor. A judge either.
Jim McKenney
Albuquerque, NM
Send your thoughts and comments to: ontherecord@foxnews.com
Watch "On the Record" weeknights at 10 p.m. ET
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