Sgt. Ed Cain, head of the Huntsville Police Department's Major Crimes Unit, recently retired. (Photo courtesy of The Huntsville Times)
When I wrote Sgt. Ed Cain’s retirement story, there was a lot I didn’t get to say. I wrote about his ability to empathize with victim’s families, his talent for being just hands-on enough without stepping on toes, and his wealth of knowledge in not just homicide, but in all aspects of police work.
But his influence reached farther than that. You could look around the room at his retirement party and easily see that half of the people there weren’t in uniform. They weren’t officers in plain clothes. They were people he touched who cared enough to come to his party. I didn’t have to go to the retirement luncheon to write my story. But I wanted to go, because Sgt. Cain, in a sense, taught me how to do my job.
It doesn’t take a genius to be a crime reporter. Any Joe who knows how to ask the basics — who, what, where, when, why and with what kind of weapon — could do my job. But to do it well, you’ve got to learn the ropes at your local police department. That’s where Sgt. Cain steps in.
When I took this job, former cops reporter Wendy Reeves forewarned me: You have to build relationships. No one is going to trust you right away. And when it comes to that Sgt. Ed Cain in Major Crimes — well, he’s great at his job, but he’s been burned a lot. Give him time.
I always strive for accuracy, but I took the upmost care with Sgt. Cain’s words. I treaded carefully out of fear. Then I decided the best way to build a relationship with Cain was to sit down with him one-on-one, which he had offered to do before. So I called him and we went to Starbucks to talk business.
That’s when I truly met Ed Cain — not the tough-guy front many new reporters see. I learned about his family, his hobbies and, of course, his job. During that hour or so, he taught me some of the most valuable lessons that a good cops reporter needs to know:
- You have to earn people’s trust in life, but even more so when you’re dealing with police. The job is demanding, and officers deal with a lot of disrepect in their jobs. Respect them, respect their boundaries, and most of them will warm up to you.
- Keep your word. Once you burn certain officers, there’s little you can do to repair the damage. Why should they talk to you when it’s not in their job description to do so? That’s what public information officers are for. Officers chose to speak to you because they trust you.
- Develop an understanding of police work. Then, you’ll understand why investigators can’t or won’t release certain information. Investigators need to hold on to a few details only the criminal would know. That way, when they catch him, he can’t claim he learned a deatil from the media. Of course this is frustrating for you as a reporter, but you’ll go farther in the end if you’re patient instead of hounding the police for information they have no intention of revealing anyway.
- Be patient. If you honor the wishes of officers, you’ll be rewarded with more information later. You’ll get the story you’re after — maybe not the way you wanted, and maybe not as soon as you wanted it — but it will most likely happen in some form.
- Don’t just call when you want something. Care about the people you’re talking to, and they’ll care about you.
Of course, that’s only the tip of the iceberg. Sgt. Cain’s advice was much more fluid and tactful, but for list purposes, I just got to the point. He has a talent for getting his point across in the most gentle and insightful ways.
After that day, I no longer tiptoed around Sgt. Cain out of fear. I approached him at crime scenes and met open arms (literally — anyone who knows him will tell you he’s a cheerful, teddy-bear type). I didn’t triple-check my stories out of fear, but out of respect. I stopped fearing my sources and learned to respect their jobs, and in turn, I think some have developed a better understanding of mine.
Tags: Huntsville police, Major Crimes, tribute
