AMERICUS — In the Nov. 16 edition, Jennifer R. Cromer was listed as having been issued a traffic ticket, under arrests, in Area Beat.
According to the Georgia Law Enforcement Handbook, “a person is under arrest whenever his liberty to come and go as he pleases is restrained, not matter how slight such a restraint may be.”
Because Cromer was detained by the officer who issued her a citation for following closely, this newspaper interprets that as an arrest; however, in the future, the Times-Recorder will separate traffic offenses from more serious charges in the Area Beat section of the newspaper. Under the new policy, Jennifer R. Cromer would not be listed under “arrests” but under “citations.”
The newspaper management hopes this will bring more clarity in the future.