After two months of making changes and adding sections at The Leader, we have decided to do away with listing the names of those who have been arrested in Jefferson County.

We asked the readers for their feedback, and although we have heard from readers on both sides regarding the naming of those arrested, a push to not have the weekly list was heard.

The Leader stands by the importance of providing public information to its readers, and will continue to do so through its strong journalism. When there are crime stories the public needs to know about and stories where a situation has become a public safety or health concern, we will be the first to report it accurately and ethically. Sometimes, that might include the names of those involved.

The Leader will not be doing away with its cops and courts reporting, however. Although we would all love to live where crime does not happen, Jefferson County is not perfect. The community needs to be aware of what is going on around them.

Yes, we are not a big city - we are not Chicago and dealing with (at the time of this editorial) at least 65 shooting incidents where at least 10 people were fatally shot in a weekend.

But, we are a town that does have crime.

We report on these situations to hold people accountable for their actions and make sure justice is served when crimes happen. We also hold officials accountable to make sure the people who are charged with crimes are having their rights upheld with fair representation and the right to a speedy trial.

It is transparency. We cannot have the government picking people up off the streets and losing all records of that individual.

The Leader will still be providing this accountability and transparency to its readers. But, we will do so without the weekly arrest reports.