Journalists from all over the state were on hand at the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation’s (TBI) Media Day early last week. The annual event took place in Memphis for the first time since its inception.
Local media colleagues, WRJB radio announcer Bobby “Flash” Melton and The Camden Chronicle Editor Pamela Mirabella represented Benton County. From crime scene investigations to fingerprint processing, journalists experienced the behind-the-scene operations of the TBI.
In the real-time simulator, press associates were face-to-face with armed assailants with milli-seconds to react, just as agents and law enforcement do daily in their dangerous jobs. “It was most eye opening,” Mirabella said after her third try at making the right decision in a threatening situation. “Law enforcement literally have one hundredth of a second to make a life-altering decision when someone is standing there with a weapon in their hand. It is a lose-lose situation no matter the outcome. If they strike too early, the family of the suspect is outraged. On the other hand, if they react too slow, the family of the victim is enraged. It really was extremely jolting.”
Melton agreed. “Hearing from the six or seven division heads on the panel discussion about the role their division plays in the overall operation of the agency and hearing them answer questions from the media was one of my highlights,” Melton said on Monday. “It’s very rare to get those agents in the same room at the same time for a discussion of agency duties and responsibilities. I especially liked the drug enforcement personnel who spoke on the problems the state is seeing with illicit drugs and how much more potent they are today than a few decades ago. I thought it was a powerful statement when the gentleman said this is not your dad’s or granddad’s marijuana out there today and he went on to say the TBI is not for the legalization of marijuana in the state.”
Melton finished with, “I also liked the tour of the mobile units and what supplies and equipment are on them, as well as the demonstration of how a footprint is lifted. It was all very interesting to me.”
