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 "drivers license" ...
-
Human Tissue Donation
It’s a billion dollar business that begins with an act of generosity: When someone or their family agrees to donate a person’s body, for free, after death. When they click the “donor” box on their driver’s license application, most organ donors don’t realize that they have also agreed to donate their tissue. They’ve made a legally binding promise that a private company can take skin, bones, tendons, ligaments and anything that’s not a living organ—and turn it into for-profit medical products. In a four part radio series that aired in July 2012, NPR Correspondent Joseph Shapiro highlighted this little known industry and the shortcomings in regulation that raise concerns among donors, medical professionals, and government officials at many levels. The series was part of a collaboration between NPR’s Investigative Unit and the International Consortium for of Investigative Journalists, a project of the Center for Public Integrity.
Tags: Human tissue donation; organ donors; ICIJ; Center for Public Integrity
-
Backdoor Branches
The investigation turns up "backdoor branches" where unscrupulous dealers are using loopholes within state and federal business laws to purchase license plates and titles for undocumented drivers.
Tags: license plates; bureau of motor vehicles; I.D.; backdoor branches
-
Criminal Cab Drivers
This story reveals that “hundreds of criminals are behind the wheels of Houston cabs”. This is allowed to happen because if it falls outside of a 10 year period it won’t show up and they are allowed to get their cab license. It has become a standard on criminal background checks because people can change and straighten up their lives. But when one of these cab drivers commits a crime as a driver, people begin to question these tactics.
Tags: transportation; passengers; travel; cabbie; streets; taxicab; ordinance; FOIA; city council; Ricardo Steele; Yellow Cab
-
"No Reciprocity: Canadian Hit and Run"
In Everett, a vehicle with British Columbia plates struck a young boy and fled the scene, driving across the border back into Canada. Upon realizing the driver was Canadian, U.S. investigators dropped the case and did not ticket the man. An investigation by KIRO-TV finds that it is common for tickets issued to B.C. residents to remain unpaid without consequence because of the lack of a "reciprocity agreement" between Washington and British Columbia.
Tags: British Columbia; Canada; Regional Border Patrol; Everett Mall Way; Everett Police; Keith Leary; Washington Department of Licensing
-
"A License To Lose"
This investigative report reveals weaknesses in security in the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles, as well as in the BMVs of two nearby states. WBNS-TV found that hundreds of social security and registration papers were being discarded in unsecured trash receptacles. The report also reveals that the BMV was aware of the security breach two years prior to the occurrence, but failed to do anything about the issue.
Tags: Bureau of Motor Vehicles; BMV; partial driver's license; registration
-
Nevada DUI
This investigation found a number of frightening facts, which could change many lives. One of the first findings is “judges have not been following a 1997 law that requires them to order the installation of interlock devices for all offenders convicted of DUIs causing death or substantial bodily harm.” Also, many previous offenders were convicted of a second DUI and had blood alcohol levels (BACs) considered of those with an alcohol abuse problem. Further, found that DUI offenders released from prison didn’t have their licenses restricted for three years after the conviction.
Tags: drunk drivers; laws; Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV); interlock devices; prosecutors; parole officials; probation officials; death; harm; courts; convictions
-
Racial Profiling
The two day series attempted to determine if the practice of targeting citizens based on their race was being used by area law enforcement. Their findings included: Black drivers in Sheveport and nearby Bossier City were cited for traffic violations more than twice as often as white drivers, based on traffic citation data over nearly five years. Although black divers were a minority of each city's licensed drivers, they were disproportionally cited for lower-level violations, such as window tint or loud music. Several officers from each city police department routinely issued more tickets to black drivers and issued more tickets for lower-level violations that for serious infractions, such as speeding or running a red light.
Tags: racial profiling; driving violations; law enforcement; low-level citations; black drivers; citation records; FOIA; police behavior
-
The Protected
One million cars owned by California public employees have license plates that shield their information from prying eyes. That secrecy can enable them to run toll booths and red lights and avoid parking citations. They also signal police that the drivers are "one of their own" or related to someone who is, causing many to let these public employees off with a warning.
Tags: license plates; California; law enforcement; traffic violations; cronyism; red light cameras; speeding tickets
-
Ghost Drivers
"For years, Indiana has suffered the embarrassment and dubious distinction as a "fraud Friendly" state when it comes to obtaining bogus licenses and identification cards. A new administration vowed to put a stop to it. But 13 investigates discovered the state's top agencies for prosecuting fraud weren't following through on the legal end. Investigative Reporter Sandra Chapman began tracking the case of an accused Bureau of Motor Vehicles worker accused of fraud. What she found instead was a system allowing known illegal drivers using social security numbers from decreased residents to operate free and clear of Indiana law."
Tags: identification cards; identity fraud; fake credentials; drivers licenses; driving records
-
Rejecting the Vote
The right to vote may have been illegally taken away from thousands of qualified citizens in Harris County, Texas. A Republican politician was found to prevent potential voters from getting on the voting rolls in an attempt to stop Democratic candidates from winning.
Tags: Paul Bettencourt; Vote Registrar; re-election; drivers license; polling; fixed election; voting;