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 "speeding" ...
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Dirty Money
Some law enforcement agencies have become addicted to seizing drug money. This story found:</p> <p>*Police agencies are seizing bulk cash from drivers and alleging it's drug money without finding any drugs, or, in many cases, without ever filing criminal money laundering charges.</p> <p>* Underfunded, usually rural police and prosecutor's offices have become dependent on seizing suspected drug money to carry out the basic functions of their offices, a state of affairs specifically discouraged by federal asset forfeiture laws.</P> <p>* In the extreme, some corrupt police forces are setting up "forfeiture traps," reminiscent of small-town speed traps, to catch suspected drug couriers and take their currency, a practice some attorneys call "highway robbery"</p> <p>* Some sheriff's departments have become more interested in confiscating cash than drugs, i.d. working southbound lanes into Mexico -- "our piggybank," one South Texas sheriff told me -- where they're more likely to catch money couriers. The reporters also found that these departments are not interested in investigating the couriers as a way to disrupt cartel activities -- all they're interested in is seizing the cash.</p> <p>* With little oversight built into state or federal asset forfeiture laws, some prosecutors' office are misspending their seized drug funds on things like margarita machines for the annual picnic and soccer uniforms for the police soccer team.</p> <p>* More and more law enforcement agencies are taking advantage of the "piggy banks" on their highways. According to the US Justice Department, in the past four years seized assets tripled from $567 million to $1.6 billion.</p>
Tags: Drug enforcement; seizure of money; US Justice Department; radio; forfeiture traps
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Fatal Boat Crash: Wrong man charged?
When the Chief Deputy Sheriff of the Lake County Sheriff's Office was driving a speed boat it collided into a sailboat, killing a woman. However, it was the man driving the sailboat that was charged with manslaughter. ABC 7's investigation found that investigators were not taking statements from witnesses critical of the deputy and judges were not excusing themselves from the case, despite personal relationship with him.
Tags: police department; manslaughter; criminal justice; judge; witness testimony;
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Speed Unlimited
In fiscal year 2005-06, only 2.4 percent of people with serious speeding tickets (going more than 55 mph and more than 15 miles over the limit) were convicted as charged. This series reveals loopholes in state law that encourage prosecutors and judges to let speeders get away with their crimes. This sort of leniency is dangerous, as many people each year die from speed-related collisions.
Tags: speeding; traffic accidents; highway; transportation; state government; police
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I-95 Speed zones are not most dangerous
This investigation found that speed zones in Brevard County, FL, were established not necessarily because of high rates of speed-related accidents, but merely in areas where people who supported the law lived. Some of the zones are actually in places with very low rates of speeding-related crashes.
Tags: traffic; transportation; highways; department of highway safety; microsoft access
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A grim cycle: 8 dead so far
"The story was about motorcycle fatalities. We found that speed, alcohol and riding without a helmet contributed to a rise in motorcycle fatalities."
Tags: motorcycles; driving; safety; roads; traffic accidents; fatal accidents
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Inside Two Agencies: How Security and Policy Problems Undermine the U.S. Transportation Security Administration and Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
Speed has become more important that security in two organizations that should be emphasizing security. The Star-Ledger investigates the U.S. Transportation Security Administration and Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and finds that airport screeners are not as efficient as they should be. In addition, the series discusses the difficulty of securing cargo both at the port and on passenger jetliners.
Tags: Transportation Security Administration; Port Authority of New York and New Jersey; cargo; security; port security; airport security; airline security
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A Defective System
In the Kansas City Municipal Court, drivers who had committed offenses including "DUI, fleeing police, racing on city streets and speeding" were allowed to plea-bargain their offenses down to the much more minor "defective-equipment" violation. In some cases, drivers were obtaining up to five of these plea bargain deals in a year. The more serious offenses never showed up on drivers' records, and while these individuals avoided the hike in insurance rates that would have come with their violations, insurance company spokesmen informed the K.C. Star that everyone's rates were thus "being increased slightly to cover this uninsured risk created by the plea bargains."
Tags: DUI; moving violations; plea bargains; Kansas City Municipal Court; "defective-equipment" citation"; insurance rates; insurance rate hikes
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Lights and Sirens
The emergency vehicles in Baltimore are involved in a large number of violent crashes each year. The most common link among all of the accidents is that rookie officers are not obeying the rules. Over half of the police cars drove more than 10 mph over the speed limit on emergency calls, which is against the rules. In other situations, 8 out of 10 vehicles would speed without deploying lights and sirens.
Tags: Mary Jones; police; sirens; speeding; speed limit; car crash; accident; emergency; reckless driving
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NewsChannel 5 Investigates: The Ticket Fix
The NewsChannel 5 "investigation discovered a systemic problem with parking and speeding tickets being fixed in the city of Nashville. Among the beneficiaries: friends of cops and judges, politicians, Tennessee Titans, even court employees. Out of 136,000 parking tickets in a two-year period, 16,000 were dismissed without explanation. Out of 166,000 speeding tickets, 14,000 were dismissed without explanation."
Tags: traffic violations; tickets; fixing; Tennessee
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"Deadly Pursuit"
Through an analysis of 947 police pursuits, the Star's series found that people were dying for largely inconsequential crimes and police were chasing at up speeds up to 170 mph. The series also looked at solutions, such as what other cities do to control police chases.
Tags: police; chases; pursuits; traffic stop; crashes; car accidents; Indianapolis; officers