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The NYPD Files

New York Lawmakers Call for Police Commissioner to Be Stripped of Power to Bury Brutality Cases

The City Council members’ call for reform comes after a ProPublica investigation revealed that NYPD Commissioner Edward Caban had repeatedly short-circuited disciplinary cases against officers accused of abuse.

The NYPD Files

NYPD Restores Thousands of Missing Records but Removes Case Numbers From Its Discipline Database

The department restored more than 2,000 missing discipline records to its public database of uniformed officers, weeks after ProPublica revealed data reliability issues. But it also removed case numbers, making future oversight more difficult.

Black Boxes

NYPD Will Stop Withholding Body-Camera Footage of Police Shootings From Civilian Investigators

After questions from ProPublica and The New York Times Magazine, the New York Police Department pledged to end its practice of not sharing videos in ongoing investigations with the Civilian Complaint Review Board.

Series

89 stories published since 2008

New York Lawmakers Call for Police Commissioner to Be Stripped of Power to Bury Brutality Cases

NYPD Restores Thousands of Missing Records but Removes Case Numbers From Its Discipline Database

Even When a Cop Is Killed With an Illegally Purchased Weapon, the Gun Store’s Name Is Kept Secret

Looking Up an NYPD Officer’s Discipline Record? Many Are There One Day, Gone the Next.

Nearly Two Years After Uvalde Massacre, Here Is Where All the Investigations, Personnel Changes Stand

St. Louis Police Chief Receives a Third of His Pay From a Local Foundation, Raising Concerns of Divided Loyalties

Check Your State: Here Are the Active Shooter Training Requirements for Schools and Law Enforcement

Police Departments Are Turning to AI to Sift Through Millions of Hours of Unreviewed Body-Cam Footage

21 Bodycam Videos Caught the NYPD Wrongly Arresting Black Kids on Halloween. Why Can’t the Public See the Footage?

How Chicago Became an Unlikely Leader in Body-Camera Transparency

DOJ Blasts Law Enforcement’s Uvalde Shooting Response in New Report, Calls for Agencies to Prioritize Training

When Alabama Police Kill, Surviving Family Can Fight Years to See Bodycam Footage. There’s No Guarantee They Will.

NYPD Will Stop Withholding Body-Camera Footage of Police Shootings From Civilian Investigators

Body Cameras Were Sold as a Tool of Police Reform. Ten Years Later, Most of the Footage Is Kept From Public View.

Mujeres de Utah intentaron denunciar agresiones sexuales a la policía. Dicen que enfrentaron retrasos y barreras lingüísticas.

Utah Women Tried to Report Sexual Assaults to Police. They Say They Faced Delays and Language Barriers.

How Police Have Undermined the Promise of Body Cameras

A Retired Detective Says He’s Too Sick to Testify at Murder Trials. Now Those Cases Are Falling Apart.

Louisiana Sheriff’s Department Settles Two Use-of-Force Cases, Including One in Which an Autistic Teen Died

A Detective Sabotaged His Own Cases Because He Didn’t Like the Prosecutor. The Police Department Did Nothing to Stop Him.

The NYPD Denied Our Request for Body Camera Footage of a “Friendly Fire” Killing. Here’s How We Got It Anyway.

A Chicago Cop Is Accused of Lying Under Oath 44 Times. Now Prosecutors Are Dropping Cases That Relied on His Testimony.

NYPD “Friendly Fire” Killed an Officer. Investigators Seemed to Ignore Video of Police Being Commanded to “Stop Shooting.”

ProPublica Partner Sues Mississippi County for Blocking Access to Search Warrants

Video Showed an Officer Trying to Stop His Partner From Killing a Man. Now We Know Police Investigators Never Even Asked About the Footage.

Another Police Officer Pleads Guilty to Punching Handcuffed Man

The Army Increasingly Allows Soldiers Charged With Violent Crimes to Leave the Military Rather Than Face Trial

Is It Forensics or Is It Junk Science?

More Than Two Years After George Floyd’s Murder Sparked a Movement, Police Reform Has Stalled. What Happened?

St. Louis’ Private Police Forces Make Security a Luxury of the Rich

DOJ Charges Defendants With Harassing and Spying On Chinese Americans for Beijing

Years Before a Police Union Leader Was Raided by the FBI, Local Investigators Didn’t Pursue Allegations Against Him

Judge Says NYPD Illegally Withheld Footage in Police Shootings

Police Watchdog Calls for Full Access to Body Cam Footage. The NYPD Says No.

A Union Scandal Landed Hundreds of NYPD Officers on a Secret Watchlist. That Hasn’t Stopped Some From Jeopardizing Cases.

This State’s Legislators Want to Overhaul the System That Lets Law Enforcement Keep People’s Money

Massachusetts Police Can Easily Seize Your Money. The DA of One County Makes It Nearly Impossible to Get It Back.

“Have You Ever in Your Life Attended a Meeting of the Ku Klux Klan?”

How NYPD’s Vice Unit Got Prostitution Policing All Wrong

“This Is War”: Inside the Secret Chat Where Far-Right Extremists Devised Their Post-Capitol Plans

New York City Paid an NBA Star Millions After an NYPD Officer Broke His Leg. The Officer Paid Little Price.

Domestic Terrorism: A More Urgent Threat, but Weaker Laws

“Nobody” Hurt, “Just a Perp,” Say Officers After NYPD Shot and Killed Man in His Own Home

Alaska Requires DNA Be Collected From People Arrested for Violent Crimes. Many Police Have Ignored That.

Police Say Seizing Property Without Trial Helps Keep Crime Down. A New Study Shows They’re Wrong.

The Obama Justice Department Had a Plan to Hold Police Accountable for Abuses. The Trump DOJ Has Undermined It.

What Can Mayors Do When the Police Stop Doing Their Jobs?

The NYPD Is Withholding Evidence From Investigations Into Police Abuse

The NYPD Isn’t Giving Critical Bodycam Footage to Officials Investigating Alleged Abuse

I Cover Cops as an Investigative Reporter. Here Are Five Ways You Can Start Holding Your Department Accountable.