On the surface, it’s easy to understand why some city leaders are questioning the value of the Rocky Mount Police Department’s e-policing program.

Established about a year ago, the popular program sends e-mail alerts about crime to city residents who sign up for the service. Media outlets also receive the alerts, and that has some city officials concerned that the program is tarnishing the city’s image.

But it has been successful in helping to solve some recent crimes — including a homicide in which the suspect was arrested at a Raleigh hospital after a nurse recognized the man from a photograph in an e-policing report.

The program was toned down last week, with far fewer incident reports and more public safety tips. Although police Chief John Manley has characterized the program as a “huge success,” he said he has instructed his staff to reduce the frequency of the e-mails, report fewer sensitive details and include “more positive” information in the alerts.

Mayor David Combs pointed out that some television news outlets are abusing the alerts — and the facts certainly back him up on that. As staff writer Mike Hixenbaugh reported, a significant amount of the coverage Rocky Mount receives on regional television stations are crime stories re-written from the e-policing reports.

But the mayor displayed a dismaying cavalier attitude toward the spirit of the state’s public records law in stating that the public and the media “might have to work a little harder” to obtain these public police reports.

The effectiveness and transparency of the e-policing program should have other police departments in the state seeking to emulate it — not city officials aiming to silence it.