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 "bad cops" ...
-
A Bad Cop and His Wife
The investigation uncovered how a Los Angeles detective and his wife ripped off people from coast to coast. The detective would use his influence as a police officer to help his wife's furniture and design business. She would take customers money but not deliver the goods.
-
Speed Trap: Racial Patterns in Traffic Stops
The Boston Globe analyzed newly released state records on traffic stops and found that "on city boulevards and rural lanes, whites are far more likely than minorities to receive written warnings instead of tickets when stopped for identical traffic offenses." The report also looked at sex and gender, and found "women, especially young women, get breaks that aren't afforded to men." In order to then quantify the cost of such unequal treatment to the public, the Globe looked at factors such as lost ticket revenue and higher insurance premiums -- concluding "the price tag...amounts to an estimated $25 million a year." But the news wasn't all bad, as the analysis revealed the Massachusetts State Police did give almost identical treatment "to all drivers, regardless of race, sex, or age....No local police department of any size was as fair as the State Police." The earlier series (Jan 6-7) deals with how statewide, black and Hispanic drivers "received traffic tickets at a rate twice their share of the population." And when they were stopped, those drivers were "50 percent more likely to have their cars searched," even though whites were more likely to be found carrying drugs. The Globe uses tables and graphics extensively to convey the results of its analysis.
Tags: traffic; tickets; ticket; race; minority; trooper; cop; police; speeding; drugs; warning; gender; profile; profiling; citation; database; CAR; statistics; public records; open records; research; tables; graphics
-
Good Cops, Very Bad Man. Murders Put to Rest: The Untold Story of the Starbucks Triple-Homicide Investigation. When an odd couple of detectives stalked one of Washington's most notorious killers, they had to wonder: who was the hunter and who was the hunted? A Dance with Death.
This article explains how detectives worked on the infamous Starbucks Coffee triple-homicide investigation in Washington, D.C. The article cites dozens of sources and interviews.
Tags: Washington; D.C.; Starbucks; Starbuck's; Starbuck's Coffee; homicide; triple-homicide; murder; killer; gun; death; crime; robbery; cops; police
-
Battle Against Bad Cops Isn't Fought Only in L.A.
The LA Times looks at corrupt cops and finds that "in the seven years that U.S. Atty. Gen. Janet Reno has run the Department of Justice, the number of law-enforcement officers doing time in federal prison has risen to 668--an increase of nearly 600 percent."
Tags: police; cops; bad cops; LAPD; convicted cops; crime; corruption
-
Flunking Grade: Psychological Tests Designed to Weed Out Rogue Cops Get a 'D'
The Wall Street Journal investigates the psychological tests designed to weed out bad cops and finds "critics say they fail to halt racial and other abuse." However, other police cite gains.
Tags: cops; police; psychological tests; racism; police brutality; personality tests; LAPD; job screening
-
Prescription for Pain
"Nobody knew how bad Eastern Kentucky's prescription drug problem was." After an eight-month investigation, the Lexington Herald-Leader series "Prescription for Pain," revealed that the region was "the painkiller capital of the United States. And nobody--not the doctors, the cops, the court system or society--was doing anything to stop the abuse."
Tags: drug trade; eastern Kentucky; prescription drugs; drug addiction; painkillers; narcotics; drug courts; DUI
-
Good cop? Bad cop?
An off duty police officer shoots a robber who wounded two vendors. Everything sounds good until allegations arise that claim the vendors were actually running a gambling ring and the off duty officer was the protection.
-
Insult and Injury/The Bad Cops Club
All Tim Peck wanted was a cheeseburger from a local restaurant in Northwest Atlanta, instead he got two broken legs, courtesy of an off-duty county sheriff's deputy. Varying accounts detail an altercation between Peck and Deputy Kelvin Smith at the local restaurant, with Peck giving his account, and Smith giving his. An investigation by Creative Loafing found that Smith had a long history of physical abuse on the job, yet all complaints against him were cleared. "The Bad Cops Club," follows-up the incident with Smith and examines other deputies accused of physical abuse as well as drunk driving and falsifying reports.
-
Cocaine, cash and the captain
WKMG-TV investigates the connection of Captain Victor Thomas, a high-ranking sheriff's official, to a drug murder and rip-off. The story describes the circumstances at which Thomas was arrested trying to smuggle 18 kilos of cocaine. The reporters find that "instead of quickly putting the case of one bad cop behind it, the sheriff's office and FBI continued to pursue leads down the same trail WKMG was trolling, at times crossing investigative paths, but ultimately winding up with a scandal that claimed six careers, put two cops in jail and revealed the seamier side of a law enforcement star out of control."
Tags: TAPE; TRANSCRIPT; sexual assault; Republicans; politics; corruption; CAR
-
Good Cop, Bad Cop
"The arrests of four homeless men ... all with past histories of drug problems and arrests, led to the suspension and ultimately, termination of the two officer, the case illustrates how hard it is to get the criminal-justice system in Los Angeles -- from police investigators to prosecutors and judges -- to takes seriously the claims of suspects who swear they are innocent. "
Tags: homeless; drugs; crack; kidnapping; assault; victimization; illegal arrests; planting evidence; drug thefts; excessive force; officers misconduct; false arrests; perjury