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 "deputy" ...
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Concealing County Corruption: Anatomy of a Cover-Up
Wayne Dolcefino saves the best for last. In his final investigation for KTRK-TV, he and the 13 Undercover Unit demonstrated relentless persistence as they attempted to shake up a county government with an abysmal record of policing itself. This submission begins with four reports detailing shocking evidence of corruption inside the downtown precinct of Constable Jack Abercia. 13 Undercover spent several months doing painstaking surveillance -- catching the Constable’s deputies running his personal errands, working extra jobs on the clock and stockpiling never driven county patrol cars while lawmen were being laid off. 13 Undercover then managed to get a hidden camera inside the chief deputy’s office as he and two deputies talked openly about corruption inside the precinct. The language is often foul mouthed and always revealing. The FBI nabbed Aberica and two top commanders in a bribery sting weeks later. The veteran former constable is now awaiting trial. Eventually, 13 Undercover turned our cameras on county leaders to say “enough is enough.” Not only was action not forthcoming, it quickly became clear that many in positions of power wanted this all to go away without getting their hands dirty, without ending decades of a patronage system that made deputies feel required to give money to their boss’s campaigns and charities to keep their jobs. That was not an option. This investigation demanded accountability and we held leaders to the promises they made to the public. In late summer, 13 Undercover scored a major public records victory that revealed what one commentator dubbed "a cover-up of Nixonian proportions." The series culminated with the long awaited, and previously unimaginable, indictment of one of the county’s most popular elected officials – precinct 6 Constable Victor Trevino. New county directives now prohibit constables from soliciting money from their deputies and legislation is expected to filed in Austin to protect county employees from further shakedowns.
Tags: Corruption; county government; officials
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St. Bernard Voting Fraud
In an effort to preserve the sense of community in St. Bernard, and other similar parishes affected by Hurricane Katrina, the state passed legislation allowing residents to continue to vote at their previous residences, even if they were living outside of the parish during the rebuilding process. Fast forward six years. 2011. The rebuilding of St. Bernard continues, but with a post-Katrina population of 35,000, the parish has a fraction of its former residents. While some property owners have returned, many have moved to St. Tammany Parish. This is where WVUE's investigation begins. The investigative team received a tip that a St. Bernard Sheriff's Department employee lived in St. Tammany Parish, but was still voting in St. Bernard. This tip came right after the primary in St. Bernard's critical fall elections. The WVUE-TV team requested all voting records for the election, and found out that the deputy was the tip of the iceberg; illegal voting was widespread.
Tags: broadcast; voter fraud; Hurricane Katrina
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Constable Corruption
KTRK-TV has already exposed a culture of corruption on the front lines of Houston law enforcement. The interactive web component called "Undercover Interactive" offers viewers unprecedented access to the evidence and gives them a change to make their own conclusions.
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Moonlighting deputies funnel cash to sheriff
Deputies working off-duty paid details at places such as Walgreens and Wal-Mart all pay Sheriff Marlin Gusman one dollar for every hour they work, providing Gusman with about $100,000 in discretionary money each year. Gusman, who often pleads penury in running his office, uses the detail money to throw parties for his staff and hire cheerleaders -- such expenditure is illegal, the Attorney General's Office has opined.
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Solving A 1964 Cold Case: Mystery of Frank Morris
This investigation, partnered with the Concordia Sentinel, CBC Radio and NPR digs into the cold case of Frank Morris, thought to be murdered by Ku Klux Klan members, all for refusing to work on a deputy sheriff's cowboy boots.
Tags: Cold case project; KKK; multimedia
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Carlos Boles Investigation
This KMOV investigation shows how a man with a violent history was set free to shoot and kill a deputy U.S. Marshal and wound a second deputy. With on-camera interviews with the judge that oversaw the criminal docket, and the St. Louis Police Chief, it is no wonder why the prosecution system is broken
Tags: breaking news; broadcast
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Constable Corruption
"Over a six month period, 13 Undercover reviewed thousands of documents to expose the entrenched constable system and the elected officials who single-handedly control the fate of thousands of deputies. At the time of the entry, three constables face possible indictments."
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Abuse of the Badge?
A Sheriff's Deputy has long been accused of sexual assault, coercion, manipulation and extortion but there was never enough evidence to back up the claims. This series compiles months of background investigation, interviews with other members of law enforcement and testimony from multiple alleged victims.
Tags: sexual assault; extortion; police; coercion; Alabama Bureau of Investigation; badge
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"The IMF & 'Trojan Horse': Secret U.S. Documents on the Korean Financial Crisis"
After years of reporting, the KBS was able to obtain secret documents regarding the "Korean financial crisis" that were "produced by the U.S. Treasury, State Department and CIA." An analysis of the documents examines how "key decisions were made" as well as the intent in regard to the "emergency situation" of the financial crisis.
Tags: Asian Monetary Fund; IMF; Korean financial crisis; Seoul; Lim Chang-yuel; Vice-Minister of Finance; Deputy Prime Minister for Economy of Korea
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Constables Under Fire
“The series of stories examines the questionable employment practices and operations of several county constable officers”. Some of these practices include “aggressive and unregulated towing effort and questionable ties with a towing company, political campaign violations and the unprecedented expansion of constables’ police duties with minimal oversight”. These constables are now under civil and criminal investigations and have been accused of a number of things.
Tags: city government; judge; lawmen; deputies; law enforcement; car tags; county government; deputies