Whistle-blowers punished by system meant to protect them

A collaborative six-month investigation by the Center for Investigative Reporting and Salon.com details the failings of whistleblower courts, which are intended to protect employees who speak out against corruption and abuses in government agencies. Instead, this forum is used to punish those who speak out for the public good. The investigation "found that federal whistle-blowers almost never receive legal protection after they take action. Instead, they often face agency managers and White House appointees intent upon silencing them rather than addressing the problems they raise...At whistleblower court, employees lose nearly 97 percent of the time."

A database analysis found that while the city of Dallas is once again ranked among "the worst large cities for violent crime," the numbers change when the sample is more closely examined. Jennifer LaFleur and Tanya Eiserer of The Dallas Morning News used "statistical tools that correct for the effect of factors such as poverty, unemployment, low homeownership, family structure and racial composition" and found that the city ranked 58th in violent crime out of 436 cities studied. The story also reports that the Dallas crime rate dropped from 2005 to 2006.

The San Francisco Chronicle published a two-part series beginning with a profile of murdered Oakland Post editor Chauncey Bailey. His suspected killers are linked to Your Black Muslim Bakery, the subject of his last, still unpublished, investigation."Bailey, 57, became the first journalist assassinated in this country since 1993 — according to the Committee to Protect Journalists — his death the likely result of a chance encounter between two of his sources and a careless journalistic slip." The second story looks at the violence and corruption surrounding the downfall of the bakery's empire.

Matt Birkbeck and Christina Gostomski of The Morning Call (Allentown, Pa) report that the Gaming Control Board is giving out casino licenses to owners and suppliers of Pennsylvania's casino industry without checking each person's complete criminal background. Though the original plan was to have the Pennsylvania State Police control the investigations because only law enforcement agencies can gain access to sensitive information, "such as whether an applicant has ties to the mob or is being looked at by the FBI." However, the background checks were instead left to the responsibility of a "new investigative bureau that doesn't have the authority to obtain nonpublic protected criminal and intelligence information." The full report details the history of this controversy and what problems have arisen as a result of it.

Citing arbitrary and unfair practices in Georgia, the U.S. Supreme Court disbanded the death penalty nationwide thirty-five years ago. The death penalty was ultimately reinstated with promises of reform but The Atlanta Journal-Constitution says application the application of the death penalty remains "as predictable as a lightning strike." Reporters spent two years investigating the reasons for the inconsistencies.

Tennessee has let more escaped fugitives slip through its judicial cracks than almost any other state. In fact, convicts on the run have murdered at least nine people during the past 30 years, all due to a system not equipped to handle fugitives who get out of state custody. In a series, bolstered by in-depth multimedia, The Tennessean finishes the investigation that staff began last December. They track the stories of more than 200 men and women who escaped from the state prison system since the 1930s. The articles relate personal stories of victims, explore the failure to bring fugitives to justice, and explain the issues facing the prison system.

Gina Barton of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel mined court records to find ten similar cases alleging that Jason Mucha, a Milwaukee Police officer, had beaten suspects or planted drugs. Despite the claims of misconduct, Officer Mucha had never been disciplined. Instead, the department promoted him to sergeant. After reviewing the cases, a state Court of Appeal issued a groundbreaking ruling that has changed the way Wisconsin courts consider police misconduct cases.

Robert Gammon of East Bay Express investigated the private security officers at the Oakland Marriott and found links between their firm and the Black Muslim clan believed to be responsible for the murder of Oakland Post editor Chauncey Bailey.
Despite initial denials from the Mariott's spokesman, public records revealed a history of connections between UD Security, the firm employed by the Marriott, and Your Black Muslim Bakery founded by Yusef Bey nearly forty years ago. East Bay Express's Chris Thompson reported extensively on the troubled history of Yusef Bey's corrupt empire in 2002. Thompson's coverage was recently discussed on On the Media.

Chuck Neubauer and Robin Fields of the Los Angeles Times report that Norman Hsu, a fugitive for over a decade, has been hiding in plain sight as a prominent Democratic fundraiser. Fifteen years ago, Hsu pleaded no contest to charges of grand theft agreeing to serve up to three years in prison. His identity was confirmed this week by his lawyer, who claimed Hsu had no recollection a plea that included prison time. As a top-tier fundraiser, Hsu "is credited with donating nearly $500,000 to national and local party candidates and their political committees in the last three years" and has been a significant contributor to Hillary Clinton's campaign.

Ruth Teichroeb of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports on sexual misconduct by employees at the SeaTac Federal Detention Center. "At least 20 sex-related incidents involving correctional staff and inmates have been reported at the prison in the past five years, according to Department of Justice records obtained through public disclosure. The allegations ranged from groping during pat-downs to forced sex. Yet not a single Bureau of Prisons employee at the facility has been prosecuted for sex-related crimes during that period." Federal statistics show that sexual abuse by corrections personnel is the most common complaint issued by inmates nationwide.