In the olden days, when I was a young reporter for The Dickinson Press, one of the assignments for the newsroom staff was to check with the Police Department every day to see if there was any news. We’d wander across the street to the station and take a look at the daily log.

Once in a while, we’d happen upon an entry that deserved follow-up with the duty officer. Mostly it was pretty innocuous stuff, and we put our notes into a little column buried at the bottom of page 2 called “The Beat.”

I still read The Dickinson Press every day, on my computer now instead of newsprint, and I keep noticing that they run a similar feature, weekly now instead of daily, called “The Blotter.”

It’s hard to believe either of them is really worthy of the ink used to print them (I think The Press is printed one or two days a week now — it was six days a week when I worked there — but then, as now, they were kind of a source of amusement for those of us involved in gathering “the news.”

I thought it might be fun to compare them, so I grabbed a couple issues of The Dickinson Press from July 29 and 31, 1973 (the paper did not print Mondays back then, giving us reporters Sunday, July 30, off) and July 30 this year.

“The Beat” from 1973

• A man requested officers to come to the Eagles Club to stop an argument.
• A woman reported noisy kids on the street corner.
• A man reported his bicycle run over.
• Officers were asked to unlock a pickup.
• A man complained of careless drivers.
• A man wanted help unlocking his house door.
• Kids were in an empty house, a woman said.
• A green light was reported out.
• Kids were locked in a building, a man said.
• A man reported that kids were diving from the East Broadway bridge.
• Officers were asked to deliver a message.
• A woman wanted officers to help her locate her husband.
• A man brought an object he found in some weeds to the police department.

A couple of slow days back in 1973. How about July 30, 2024? Well, The Pressreported a week’s worth of “the news” from the Dickinson police station.

“The Blotter” from 2024

SUNDAY, JULY 14

• 2:03 a.m.: A citizen reported he had not heard from his girlfriend in a week, since telling her to move out. He had no known contact information for the girlfriend. No further action was taken.
• 9:59 a.m.: An Apartment manager wanted officers to check on a tenant who had allegedly been showing signs of paranoia. However, nobody answered the resident’s door.
• 5:22 p.m.: A woman who was reported missing was located by an officer. The woman told the officer she was not speaking with the person who reported her missing, that she was not in fact missing and did not require assistance.
• 7:20 p.m.: Law enforcement received a report of a passenger on the Jefferson bus line who was being disorderly. The passenger was removed from the bus.

Monday, July 15

• 2:12 p.m.: Police received a call about men attempting to enter the reporting party’s backyard. A lawncare contractor had gone to the wrong address.

Wednesday, July 17

• 3:38 a.m.: Officers responded to a report of a male laying in the grass on State Avenue N. The male was located, determined to be very intoxicated and provided a ride home.
• 8 a.m.: Tara Cleveland, 42, of Dickinson was arrested for a Dickinson Municipal warrant for failing to appear. The warrant stemmed from previous charges of Disorderly Conduct. According to a criminal complaint, Cleveland entered a vehicle that did not belong to her, played loud music and banged on the window on May 22.

Friday, July 19

• 8:54 a.m.: Officers received a report of a person breaking into a house on Third Street W. The reporting party later realized it was his son leaving the house and no further action was taken.

Saturday, July 20

• 1:17 p.m.: Three lost phones were turned in on Seventh Street W. The recovered phones were placed into lost and found.
• 1:33 p.m.: A dog bite was reported on Fifth Avenue SE. Pictures were taken and sent to Animal Control.

Finally, this at the bottom of “The Blotter:”

Editor’s Note: At The Dickinson Press, we are committed to responsible journalism and the protection of victims’ privacy. As part of this commitment, we do not disclose the names of individuals arrested for domestic violence. This policy aims to safeguard the identities of victims and their families, ensuring that our reporting does not inadvertently cause further harm or distress. We believe this approach balances the public’s right to be informed with the need to protect vulnerable individuals in our community. It is important to note that the individuals mentioned in this report are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. The charges listed are based on preliminary information provided by law enforcement and do not reflect convictions.

Fair enough.

What I get from reading these things is that we live in a pretty wonderful place. Oh, I realize that our policemen and women are often called upon to handle things much more dangerous than missing husbands and girlfriends, arguments at the Eagles Club, drunks laying in the grass at 3 a.m. and locked doors. And I realize that reporters use their discretion as to what goes into these reports. My recollection is that we found these to be our most fun assignments of the day. Maybe they still are.