The IRE Resource Center is a major research library containing more than 23,250 investigative stories — both print and broadcast. These stories are searchable online or by contacting the Resource Center directly (573-882-3364 or rescntr@ire.org) where a researcher can help you pinpoint what you need. Browse or search the tipsheet section of our library below. Stories are not available for download but can be easily ordered by contacting the Resource Center:
Search results for "Phoenix" ...
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The Curious Case of Sgt. Drenth
A decorated and highly respected Phoenix police sergeant is found dead on the ground in an alley near the State Capitol complex, the victim of a shotgun blast to the head. The weapon is discovered on his body in a manner which several first-responders later claim looked "staged" by another party or parties. Almost a year after Sgt. Sean Drenth's death, the county Medical Examiner rules that the manner of his death was a "suicide," not a "homicide" or "undetermined." The enclosed two-part series was published after the reporter investigated this complex and ultimately tragic case for several months. A few weeks ago, the county Medical Examiner personally told Sgt. Drenth's widow that he personally will revisit the case in light of the revelations in the story and other relevant reasons.
Tags: Death; police sergeant; shotguns
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Fast and Furious: Arizona Crime Ties
When Border Patrol agent Brian Terry was shot to death near the Arizona/Mexico border in December 2010, we quickly learned the guns found at the murder scene were linked to a controversial Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives case called Fast and Furious. Phoenix ATF agents testified in front of Congressional leaders about the flawed gun case and the strategy in which they knowingly allowed criminals to obtain deadly assault weapons. The agents admitted to watching straw buyers purchase weapons on behalf of criminals. The agents said they did nothing to stop the purchases or to track the guns in a meaningful way after they were purchased. As a result of the Fast and Furious case, approximately two thousand weapons went missing. They are presumed to be on the streets somewhere in the United States, near the border, or in Mexico. The agents' testimonies sparked a slew of Congressional hearings and a major shuffle within the leadership ranks of the ATF and other areas of the Department of Justice.
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Phoenix Kidnappings: Uncovering the truth
"For years Phoenix has been called the kidnapping capital of the U.S. Police, city leaders and politicians blamed it on the border, citing 2008 statistics that claimed there were 358 kidnappings that occurred in the city. However, KNXV's investigation uncovered the statistics used were inaccurate."
Tags: kidnapping; border control; crime; broadcast
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Firefighter Deaths
Four suicides amongst Phoenix Fire Department members prompted this investigation. The stories detailed the link between first responders and suicide deaths.
Tags: firefighter; suicide; Phoenix Fire Department; mental health; fireman
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Mr. Big Stuff
An investigation of the Housing Authority executive director in Phoenix proved he hired family members, used the agency's credit card to pay for travel and meals, and channeled federal stimulus work to developers with political connections.
Tags: Housing Authority; nepotism; politics; neophyte
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"Arpaio Investigation"
An investigation by KPHO-TV found that Sheriff Joe Arpaio often used his popularity as a means to "retaliate" when claims were made against him. The retaliation was often in the form of "SWAT raids" or "full-blown criminal investigations." Some of his victims included the mayor of Phoenix, Supreme Court judges and local police chiefs. KPHO found the FBI was also investigating the sheriff for "abuse of power."
Tags: Joe Arpaio; Mesa Police Chief; Mesa City Hall; Sheriff Arpaio; Department of Justice; Maricopa County
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"Allegations of Enrollment Abuses at U. of Phoenix"
In this series, Marketplace and ProPublica team up to investigate accusations that The University of Phoenix has been lying to potential students, as well as improperly advising students on financial aid options. They found enrollment counselors frequently pressured students to sign up, and also lied to students about "whether their credits" were transferable.
Tags: University of Phoenix; Bill Pepicello; Congressman George Miller; American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers; Barmak Nassirian; Career College Association; Department of Education; Harris Miller; The Apollo Group
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Hospital Sexual Assaults
The reporter investigated sexual assaults on patients at hospitals in the Phoenix area, and the reporting led to criminal convictions for three hospital staff members. In March 2008, the station received an e-mail saying staff at a Scottsdale hospital didn't call police after a stroke patient told them she was sexually assaulted in her bed. After the original report aired, other people came forward with similar stories. After a public records request from the police department, the reporter found sex crimes against patients at about a dozen Phoenix-area hospitals. Most cases were never solved. Ptosecutors criminally charged employees at the original Scottsdale hospital with violations of Arizona's vulnerable adults law. Three were convicted and one received jail time. Several hospitals in the Phoenix are have reviewed and improved their patient security as a result of these reports.
Tags: public records; sexual assault; hospitals; Arizona; Phoenix; patient assault; hospital patients
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All Mine
"All Mine" details how the U.S. government facilitated a modern-day land grab by a politically connected American company in one of the world's poorest countries. Phoenix-based mining company Freeport McMoRan was able to purchase the world's largest copper mine from the the government of Congo at an extremely cheap rate because it made its play under the cloud of the world's deadliest conflict site since World War II, a climate of corruption and desperation. It did so with the help of $400 million in U.S. government financing, and intense lobbying from an employee of the U.S. Embassy in Congo -- a career diplomat who rushed through the revolving door to work for the mining company just weeks after the deal was finalized. Freeport McMoRan has a generously paid spokesman, not to mention millions in lobbying dollars, to get its story out. The report also includes interviews with Congolese people who were forced from their land and threatened with arrest for speaking with reporters.
Tags: copper; Congo; Freeport McMoRan; embassy; diplomat; mining
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Juiced in the Valley
"Juiced in the Valley is a series of reports exposing the illegal prescribing of anabolic steroids by a group of doctors at Revolution Medical Centers in Phoenix, Arizona."
Tags: steroid use; prescription fraud; clinics; overdose; suicide; performance-enhancing drugs