Missing in Chicago wins Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Award /  by kaitlynn cassady

On Thursday, May 9th, trina reynolds-tyler and Senior Reporter for City Bureau Sarah Conway were awarded the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Award for Investigative Reporting in their Small Newsroom Category for their seven-part investigation Missing in Chicago.

The awards highlight the impact of Illinois investigative and enterprise reporting as a reform tool within the context of state and local government waste, fraud, and corruption.

The awards are generously sponsored by the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, which supports investigative reporting that fosters greater transparency, accountability and effectiveness in government institutions at the local level.

Watch the full awards ceremony

You Didn't See Nothin wins Peabody Award /  by kaitlynn cassady

We're thrilled to share that You Didn't See Nothin has received a Peabody Award! For more than 80 years, the Peabody Awards has honored excellence in storytelling that reflects the social issues and the emerging voices of our day.

Congratulations to our award-winning audio team: Yohance Lacour, Bill Healy, Dana Brozost-Kelleher, Erisa Apantaku, Sarah Geis, Alison Flowers, Steven Jackson, Phil Dmochowski, Taka Yasuzawa, Alex Sugiura, Jamie Kalven, and Josh Bloch for USG Audio.

See all Peabody winners

Andrew Fan Named to 2024 Emerging Leaders Council /  by kaitlynn cassady

The Institute for Nonprofit News (INN) welcomes 14 members of the 2024 INN Emerging Leaders Council (ELC). These forward-looking, innovative leaders set the stage for sustainable growth for their organizations and serve as a model for leaders across the field. 

This year’s cohort will focus on succession planning, board development, fine-tuning long-term fundraising practices and growing collaborative networks that unite nonprofit newsrooms to report on key issues. 

Full Announcement

Peabody Award Nominee: You Didn't See Nothin /  by kaitlynn cassady

The Peabody Awards Board of Jurors today announced the 41 nominees for the Documentary, News, Public Service, and Radio/Podcast categories selected to represent the most compelling and empowering stories released in broadcasting and streaming media during 2023. The nominees were chosen by a unanimous vote of 32 jurors from over 1,100 entries from television, podcasts/radio and the web in entertainment, news, documentary, arts, children’s/youth, public service, and multimedia programming.

We’re thrilled to share that You Didn’t See Nothin has been nominated for the 84th annual Peabody Awards.

The winners of the 84th annual Peabody Awards will be announced on May 9 and then celebrated on Sunday, June 9 at a ceremony at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Los Angeles. From major productions to local journalism, the Peabody Awards shine a light on the Stories That Matter and are a testament to the power of art and reportage in the push for truth, social justice, and equity.

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Yohancified: Making You Didn’t See Nothin /  by kaitlynn cassady

Note from Sarah Geis: This manifesto is made up of excerpts of interviews I did with fellow members of the core production team: Yohance Lacour, Bill Healy, Erisa Apantaku and Dana Brozost-Kelleher. But the podcast could not have been made without the fearless reporting and advocacy of Alison Flowers and Jamie Kalven at the Invisible Institute, thoughtful guidance of Josh Bloch at USG, and 4 literal sound geniuses: Taka Yasuzawa and Alex Sugiura (music composition) and Steven Jackson and Phil Dmochoski (sound design and sage editorial advice). 

Yohance Lacour: Initially the idea was a long-form written journalism piece, and it was not really gonna focus on my personal story. I got a fellowship to do it from the Invisible Institute, which was dope. But honestly, it was hard as fuck just to get started. Trying to find all of the players 25 years later — that alone was extremely difficult for me, coming home from prison, not understanding where to look for all the archival information. Then Jamie [Kalven, founder of the Invisible Institute] suggested I talk to the audio team about a podcast.

Sarah Geis: What did you think a podcast was?

Yohance: I didn’t understand the concept. I hadn’t heard of a podcast. And so when it was first brought to me, I’m just thinking like talk radio. I’m thinking about my father, for years, listening to NPR on the radio in the kitchen. I didn’t know what else was out there. And you, my whole team, was suggesting podcasts for me to listen to. And honestly I just never got into them. They felt slow. They felt boring. They felt like they were gonna put me to sleep. I’m not trying to diss all podcasts– 

Read the full article

Despite Reforms, Louisiana Still Keeps Some Police Data Secret /  by kaitlynn cassady

In 2015, Louisiana lawmakers created a database to track police certifications, which officers must maintain to work in law enforcement. Legislators claimed the information would prevent police officers with histories of misconduct from finding new law enforcement jobs in other jurisdictions.

But, by virtually all accounts, that database has failed to achieve its objective. According to repeated journalistic investigations, officers in Louisiana regularly maintain their certifications after being criminally convicted. Many fail to report to the state why they leave their jobs as required by law. And some then go on to commit misconduct with new police departments. 

This story is being co-published by The Appeal and the Invisible Institute, a Chicago-based nonprofit public accountability journalism organization.

Read the full article

You Didn't See Nothin wins ASME 2024 Podcast Award /  by kaitlynn cassady

One of the most prestigious journalism-awards programs in the United States, the National Magazine Awards are sponsored by the American Society of Magazine Editors in association with the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. Originally limited to print magazines, the awards now recognize magazine storytelling published in any print or digital medium. The awards are currently presented in 17 categories.

We are thrilled to share that You Didn’t See Nothin won the Podcasting award at the April 2nd 59th annual awards presentation at Terminal 5 in New York City.

See a full list of award winners here.

PODCASTING
Honors the outstanding use of audio content by magazines and websites

Vote for You Didn't See Nothin - Webby People's Choice Awards! /  by kaitlynn cassady

Invisible Institute’s You Didn’t See Nothin has been nominated for the 28th Annual Webby Awards! Help us win People’s Choice by voting now.

Voting is open now through Thursday, April 18th, at 11:59 pm PDT.

The Webby Awards is the leading international award honoring excellence on the Internet.

Established in 1996 during the Web’s infancy, The Webbys is presented by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences (IADAS)—a 3000+ member judging body. The Academy is comprised of Executive Members—leading Internet experts, business figures, luminaries, visionaries and creative celebrities—and Associate Members who are former Webby Winners, Nominees and other Internet professionals.

Delaware opened up access to some police misconduct records — but still denies requests for basic police data /  by kaitlynn cassady

This story is being co-published by the Delaware Call and the Invisible Institute, a Chicago-based nonprofit public accountability journalism organization.

How easy should it be for a police officer who has left one department due to misconduct to get a job with another? And does the public have a right to know about that officer’s checkered past?

Despite passage of two police reform bills in 2023, Delaware remains one of just 15 states that keeps data about police officers that the state has certified, and where they work, secret, according to a nationwide reporting project. 

This makes it impossible for citizens and journalists alike to monitor the state’s oversight of so-called “wandering officers” who switch departments only to continue patterns of aggressive behavior toward civilians.

Now, Delaware’s culture of police secrecy is being challenged in court. A lawsuit filed last week on behalf of Delaware Call is seeking data held by the state Police Officer Standards and Training Commission (POST), which tracks all law enforcement officers currently working in Delaware, and which agencies employ and have employed them.

It’s some of the most basic information about public employees that most states around the country release — including Delaware’s neighbors Maryland and New Jersey. 

Read the full article

Inside the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Brady lists /  by kaitlynn cassady

For more than two decades, Cook County has boasted the infamous reputation of the being wrongful conviction capital of the U.S.—both a statistical fact, according to the National Registry of Exonerations, and the result of ongoing public revelations since the 1990s, when the Reader’s John Conroy first exposed Jon Burge and his crew torturing suspects into making false confessions, through to today’s waves of mass exonerations of the victims of Ronald Watts and his crew.  

At the heart of many wrongful convictions is the violation of a legal obligation on the part of police and prosecutors to provide evidence to defendants that might help their case. This violation can look like anything from withholding reports about conflicting eyewitness accounts to a failure to disclose that the investigating officer has a history of dishonesty or brutality.

This obligation has been outlined in several U.S. Supreme Court decisions, starting in 1963 with Brady v. Maryland and followed in 1972 by Giglio v. United States. These decisions state that the prosecution is required to turn over any evidence that would be favorable to the defendant, including information that calls into question the credibility of the prosecution’s witnesses—such as police officers or other investigators. Further Supreme Court decisions, the Illinois Code of Criminal Procedure, and a rule of the Illinois Supreme Court add even more weight to these requirements.

Despite a history of expanding obligations on prosecutors and police, the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office (SAO) and Chicago Police Department (CPD) fail to comply with Brady in several ways, according to interviews with experts, successive outside reviews, and an investigation into the agencies’ practices by the Invisible Institute and the Reader.

Read the full investigation

trina reynolds-tyler & Sarah Conway on The Sit Down with Shawnee Dez /  by kaitlynn cassady

In the latest episode of Chicago Reader’s The Sit Down, Shawnee Dez speaks with Trina T and Sarah Conway about the two-year investigation they conducted to get a closer look into the ways that CPD handles missing persons cases and the disproportionate impact on Black women and girls in Chicago.

This episode comes on the leap day 02.29.24, a day Dez consider to be the intersection between Black History Month and Women's History Month and for that what better time to talk about an issue that is plaguing Black women at alarming rates.

For the contents of this episode, Dez offers a TRIGGER WARNING as some of what you may hear can be difficult. If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, or may be missing please reach out to a trusted community member and professionals to seek the help you/they deserve.

Listen now

Virginia Is In The Minority Of States Keeping Even The Most Basic Police Data Secret /  by kaitlynn cassady

In the wake of George Floyd’s murder by Minneapolis police, Virginia lawmakers took action on reports that state policing regulators failed to strip the police certifications from dozens of officers with criminal convictions ranging from embezzlement to possession of child pornography and sexual assault. 

The Legislature passed a bill in October 2020 requiring police departments to complete internal investigations even if officers resign during them, and to provide any records of misconduct to new prospective employers for officers; strengthening the requirements for agencies to send reports of misconduct to state regulators; expanding the offenses for which officers can be stripped of their certifications; and requiring a state board to write a statewide standard of conduct for policing.

“This will keep them from job jumping,” said state Sen. Mamie Locke, D-Hampton, one of the main sponsors.

Three years later, barely anything has changed. The statewide code of conduct draft has languished in the review stage for over a hundred days past its deadline. While the state Criminal Justice Services Board (CJSB) has increased the number of officers it decertifies, critics accuse the board of inconsistently applying its expanded abilities to decertify officers. 

And now, the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS), which houses the CJSB, refuses to publicly release basic data about police employment — data which it previously released, spurring this new reform law in the first place.

At the same time, Gov. Glenn Youngkin has introduced programs to encourage officers to move departments or even across state lines to Virginia — the exact “job jumping” that Sen. Locke warned against.

Read the full article

After fatal shootings, Rantoul police recommended more training. They just sent one officer to a gun range /  by kaitlynn cassady

After Rantoul’s first-ever fatal police shootings in 2023, the Rantoul Police Department conducted internal reviews of both incidents. 

In those internal reviews, the Use of Force Review Board — made up of different members in each incident — recommended further training for both the department and individual officers after absolving all but one officer of wrongdoing in both cases: the February 2023 shooting of 21-year-old Azaan Lee, and the June shooting of 18-year-old Jordan Richardson. 

The Rantoul Police Department’s Use of Force Review Board recommended several department-level trainings, including reality-based training under stress, “force-on-force” training, using control tactics from multiple positions and a “refresher” on the department’s use of force policy. 

However, Deputy Chief Justin Bouse confirmed the department has not implemented any of these trainings based on information obtained through open records requests from Invisible Institute and IPM News. 

Read the full article

Champaign hired Police Chief Timothy Tyler despite disciplinary past and allegations of misconduct /  by kaitlynn cassady

When Timothy Tyler applied for the Champaign Police Chief position in 2022, the Champaign City Council was given his “resumes and cover letters and recommendations — things of that nature,” according to Council member Davion Williams. 

New documents obtained through open records requests by Invisible Institute and IPM Newsroom suggest the council was not privy to a more detailed accounting of Tyler’s policing history, which is marked by a trail of disciplinary actions and other incidents ranging from suspensions for “unfavorable” conduct while serving with the Illinois State Police to entanglements in several federal civil rights lawsuits.

After receiving information and questions about Tyler’s background and disciplinary history from Invisible Institute and IPM Newsroom, City Council member Davion Williams forwarded the email to City Manager Dorothy Ann David and asked, “Were we aware of these incidents as a city?”

Read the full article


This story is part of a partnership focusing on police misconduct in Champaign County between the Champaign-Urbana Civic Police Data Project of the Invisible Institute, a Chicago-based nonprofit public accountability journalism organization, and IPM Newsroom, which provides news about Illinois & in-depth reporting on Agriculture, Education, the Environment, Health, and Politics, powered by Illinois Public Media. This investigation was supported with funding from the Data-Driven Reporting Project, which is funded by the Google News Initiative in partnership with Northwestern University | Medill.

How Chicago Became an Unlikely Leader in Body-Camera Transparency /  by kaitlynn cassady

A decade ago, the Chicago Police Department drew national outrage after an officer shot and killed 17-year-old Laquan McDonald. Officials had refused to disclose footage of the murder while officers worked to cover it up. But the fallout from the case has also led to a lesser-known and surprising outcome: The city is now a leader in using body-camera footage to deliver transparency.

Notably, an independent accountability office — not the police department — decides what footage from police shootings and other serious incidents is released to the public. That seemingly straightforward setup, the product of the city’s policing reforms, appears to put Chicago in a league of its own.

Jamie Kalven, a Chicago journalist and advocate who helped reveal what had happened to McDonald, said, “That case changed public expectations and norms in Chicago. Releasing the video became the new expectation.”

Read the full article

Invisible Institute Wins IDA Documentary Awards /  by kaitlynn cassady

The International Documentary Association hosted their 39th annual awards ceremony last night.

We are thrilled to share that You Didn’t See Nothin, our seven-part audio investigative podcast has won the award for Best Multi-Part Audio Documentary or Series.

Additionally, the short documentary Incident, which is partly based on our team’s investigation into the police killing of Harith Augustus in South Shore in the summer of 2018 has won the Best Short Documentary Award. Our founder Jamie Kalven is credited as a producer.

Watch the livestream

See No Evil: Why Does the Chicago Police Department Tolerate Abusive Racists in Its Ranks? /  by kaitlynn cassady

I first encountered officer Raymond Piwnicki in the summer of 2001. At the time, the citywide demolition of high-rise public housing was gathering momentum in Chicago. Having recently regained control of the Chicago Housing Authority after a period of federal receivership, the administration of Mayor Richard M. Daley was making a concerted effort to replace its high-rise public housing developments with “mixed income communities.” Among its first actions was to disband the CHA police force, established a decade earlier by the housing authority in an effort to offset the Chicago Police Department’s neglect of its tenants. That, in turn, required beefing up the CPD’s Public Housing Section. While the public housing unit was ramping up, members of the Special Operations Section — an elite unit charged with rooting out, as Daley often put it, “gangs, drugs, and guns” — were deployed to public housing developments. Piwnicki was among them.

The heat in Chicago on July 9, 2001, was blistering. At the Stateway Gardens public housing development, it was the sort of midsummer day that draws tenants and their children outside in hopes of catching a breeze. As adviser to the resident leadership at Stateway, I worked out of an office on the ground floor of a high-rise on South State Street with a small team of residents known as the Neighborhood Conservation Corps. One of our projects — a collaboration with professor Craig Futterman and law students from the Mandel Legal Aid Clinic of the University of Chicago Law School — was to monitor police performance in an effort to improve police-community relations. That afternoon, we were meeting with Futterman and two of his students to discuss an incident that had occurred a few months earlier.

Full article from Jamie Kalven

Arkansas declines to release police officer database, preventing public oversight of problem cops /  by kaitlynn cassady

When new officials took on the oversight of Arkansas law enforcement officers under Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders early this year, they made keeping bad cops off the street a focus.

They said they adopted new processes and safeguards intended to prevent problem officers from hopping from department to department and have even looked at individuals who may have slipped through the cracks in the past.

But Arkansas remains one of 15 states that keep the identities of its officers private, making public oversight near impossible. 

The Commission on Law Enforcement Standards and Training denied several Advocate public records requests for data from its database of certified law enforcement officers in the state.

The database containing names and information about all Arkansas officers also has private information that is exempt from disclosure, according to commission officials.

Further, spokespeople and attorneys at the agency said that disclosing the names of all the state’s officers could lead to the identification of those working undercover.

Meanwhile, more than 30 other states have made redactions or organized officer certification data in a way that it can be released to a group of news organizations across the U.S. — including Arkansas’ neighbors Texas, Mississippi, Tennessee and Missouri.

Read the full article here

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