Tag: police

Records show Illinois fails to hold police accountable for misconduct

Eighty-one Chicago police officers lost their badges over the past 20 years, but only after being investigated for 1,706 previous offenses – an average of 21 accusations per officer.   One third (28) of these Chicago officers were investigated for domestic altercations or sexual misconduct. Two murdered their wives.   That statistical picture emerges from records obtained

Teaching journalism in the wake of George Floyd

For many journalism educators and their students, the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin in May 2020 launched a year of reckoning, intensifying classrooms discussions focused on race and the media.   Brandy Monk-Payton, an assistant professor In the department of communication and media studies at Fordham University, said when she returned

Missouri media miss story of new police ‘bill of rights’

Missouri Gov. Mike Parson signed a police officer bill of rights into law July 14, even though other states have moved to repeal their law enforcement officer bills of rights as part of a larger effort to hold police officers accountable. Surprisingly, just over a year after the murder of George Floyd, Missouri’s leading media

Police misconduct records secret, difficult to access

Police misconduct records are either secret or difficult to access in a majority of states – 35 of them plus Washington, D.C. But the breeze of openness is blowing. Seven big states have opened records in recent years – California, New York, Illinois, Colorado, Massachusetts, Oregon and Maryland. Now 15 states have laws that allow these records