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SALT LAKE CITY — The public has endured a series of ups and downs during recent searches for Susan Powell. But we all might consider how tough it is for West Valley City police: They've found that their effort to be open about investigations both in Ely and near Delta has a downside.
Inviting Salt Lake City media organizations on a search in Ely, Nev., was an attempt to reignite interest in the Susan Powell investigation. But when the search turned up nothing, the media felt burned, and the public was confused.
Related:
Investigators sifting dirt for clues at site of Susan Powell investigation
The father of missing West Valley mother Susan Cox Powell says he plans to stay in Utah until investigators can determine what exactly is inside an apparent shallow grave in a remote area near Topaz Mountain.West Valley police ended up becoming frustrated as well, because they inadvertently raised expectations about a possible conclusion to the Powell case.
"We've conducted numerous follow-ups, and this is one of the follow-ups that was on that list of tasks that needed to be accomplished," West Valley Police Sgt. Mike Powell said Thursday.
For the overall Susan Powell investigation, it's again routine police work in the desert near Delta. But what the public sees is more confusion.
According to experienced police investigators, the search makes looking for a needle in a haystack look easy. In the deserts in central Utah and Nevada, there is so much space, so many abandoned mines, that retired FBI man Lou Bertram says he wouldn't say anything.
"If this was a bureau case, I would not involve the media at this point — in Ely, in Topaz Mountain," he said. "(I'd say,) ‘You're out. We're not going to tell you anything.'"
It's really difficult (for police). If you put out information that's not confirmed or speculative, it's difficult later to recover from that.
–Chris Thomas, Intrepid Hybrid Communications
But expert crisis communications people like Chris Thomas see West Valley police struggling to find a balance between being open and being too open. "You're working to balance the best interest of the investigation, and sometimes the best interest of the family and individual, with the media's want to know," Thomas said
Bertram says West Valley now has both a complex investigation and a crop of impatient reporters on its hands — all in a situation that demands patience.
"West Valley has a PR disaster right now," Thomas said. "It's really difficult, if you put out information that's not confirmed or speculative, it's difficult later to recover from that."
Yet, that is the situation West Valley City police are finding themselves in over and over again.
Email: rpiatt@ksl.com
