Top Changes in 2 Years Since Release of Laquan McDonald Shooting Video

With Friday marking the two-year anniversary of the release of dashcam video that showed Chicago Police Officer Jason Van Dyke shooting 17-year-old Laquan McDonald 16 times, there’s much that’s changed. As the city and its leaders have face a tidal wave of criticism, Chicago has seen and imposed wholesale revisions or reforms to many of … Read more

The Cops Were Chasing a Shoplifter And They Ended Up Destroying an Innocent Man’s Home.

Leo Lech owns a property parcel at 4219 South Alton Street in Greenwood Village, a sleepy suburban enclave tucked between Denver’s bustling Tech Center and the scenic reservoir of Cherry Creek State Park. His quarter-acre plot rests near the end of a quaint cul-de-sac that fits every idyllic American stereotype: two-car garages, well-manicured lawns, the … Read more

South Carolina Prosecution Group Recommends Law Carrying up to 20-Year Prison Term For Excessive Police Force

A group of South Carolina authorities on Monday suggested that the state create new laws on police uses of force, criminal penalties for officers who run afoul of the guidelines and a unit in charge of prosecuting them. The S.C. Commission on Prosecution Coordination unanimously approved four recommendations for legislation that would address lingering disagreements … Read more

Department of Justice Agent Who Blew The Whistle in 2012 Says Experience Ruined Him

In 2012, Dan Bethards had been a special agent in the Wisconsin Department of Justice for 14 years. But his career and life were upended after he reported his direct supervisor and friend, Jay Smith, for making and selling firearms without a license — a possible federal offense. Since blowing the whistle on Smith, Bethards … Read more

People Who Want to Make it Easier to Prosecute Cops Who Kill Might Get Their Way Soon

For two years, police-reform groups have unsuccessfully tried to convince state lawmakers to make it easier to prosecute law enforcement officers who kill in the line of duty. Those reformers now might have something on their side to put their efforts over the top: Political leverage. A group called De-Escalate Washington has decided to push … Read more

No Forfeiture-Database Backup With Millions on the Line, NYPD Admits

MANHATTAN — New York City is one power surge away from losing all of the data police have on millions of dollars in unclaimed forfeitures, a city attorney admitted to a flabbergasted judge on Tuesday. “That’s insane,” Manhattan Supreme Court Judge Arlene Bluth said repeatedly from the bench. This morning’s revelation stems from a request … Read more

[WATCH] Sevier County Deputy Suffered Panic Attack While Armed, Opens Fire in Mobile Home Park, Couple Charged With Causing it

SEVIERVILLE, Tenn., — A Sevier County Sheriff’s Office deputy opened fire without warning in a mobile home park, suffered an apparent panic attack four minutes later and was forcibly disarmed by a paramedic, body camera footage shows. Deputy Justin Johnson did not mention the panic attack in his report on the December 2016 incident, and … Read more

ACLU Lawsuit Alleges Chicago Police Brutality ‘Magnified For People With Disabilities’

The suit seeks a permanent injunction to block the city from continuing what it calls its current policies and practices “of using unlawful force against black and Latino people and individuals with disabilities.” It also seeks to have all court costs covered by taxpayers. The ACLU’s litigation comes after two other lawsuits were filed against … Read more