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The public entrusts police officers with the power to use deadly force to uphold the law. “The Secret List of Convicted Cops” shows how some officers betray that public trust, violate the laws they’re supposed to enforce, and nonetheless retain that power. And it shows the extreme measures reporters are required to take in order to uncover that truth. The story shows, in real time, an unprecedented eight-month collaboration of more than 30 newsrooms, as dozens of reporters race to track down court records and sources in order to verify and build upon a secret list of convicted current, former and aspiring police officers. This reporting occurred under threat of prosecution from the California Attorney General’s office, which accused our reporters of committing a crime for merely possessing the list after it was disclosed through a routine public records request.