The IRE Resource Center is a major research library containing more than 23,250 investigative stories — both print and broadcast. These stories are searchable online or by contacting the Resource Center directly (573-882-3364 or rescntr@ire.org) where a researcher can help you pinpoint what you need. Browse or search the tipsheet section of our library below. Stories are not available for download but can be easily ordered by contacting the Resource Center:
Search results for "district attorney" ...
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Bronx Prosecutors Drop Staggering Loads of Cases
A nine-month investigation by WNYC’s Ailsa Chang revealed that people accused of crimes in the Bronx have a greater chance of walking away without charges than anywhere else in New York City. Chang’s two-part series shows that the Bronx County District Attorney’s Office declines to prosecute thousands more cases than do the four other District Attorney offices. And the main reason is a troubling internal policy that no other prosecutors’ office in the city follows: In the Bronx, a case is dropped if a victim doesn’t cooperate within the first 24 hours after an arrest. Bronx prosecutors declined almost one quarter of all their cases in 2011. That’s nearly four times the average rate Manhattan and Brooklyn prosecutors declined cases.
Tags: Crimes; charges; prosecutors; declined cases; victim cooperation
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The Cash Machine
An investigation reveals that the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office seizes millions every year in small amounts of cash seized from individuals stopped by police— but not necessarily arrested, and often never convicted of a crime. Through the use of "civil asset forfeiture," the Philadelphia D.A. has created a kind of forfeiture assembly line, pursuing cases for small amounts of cash by the thousands via a system which proceeds without regard to guilt or innocence and which places a tremendous burden of proof on the property owner. This investigation is one of the first quantitative looks into a big-city forfeiture operation and includes statistics compiled from reviews of thousands of court records as well as data compiled by hand.
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Conviction
This is a 10-year hidden camera investigation into a likely case of a wrongful conviction in New York City. Ultimately, our broadcast triggered the Manhattan District Attorney’s office to officially reopen and reinvestigate the case as part of its newly created “Conviction Integrity Unit.” Our investigation may also have led to the identity of the real murder suspect. It was reported by Luke Russert.
Tags: conviction; attorney; murder; suspect
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The Clarks: An American Story
The Huguette Clark story began as a feature, a tale of mystery. Investigative reporter Bill Dedman began with a simple question: Why are the mansions of one of America's richest women sitting vacant? The result morphed into a breaking story, spawning criminal investigation by the Manhattan district attorney and most recently the U.S. attorney's office.
Tags: Hugette Clark; mansion; William Clark; fortune; wealth
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Constables Under Fire
The reporters uncovered evidence of widespread corruption, wrongdoing and incompetence in a series of investigative articles that targeted Dallas County constables, as well as questionable practices by a district attorney who was reluctant to investigate them.
Tags: constable; corruption; Dallas; county; district attorney; incompetence
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"Urban League Gets Mixed Grades On Crenshaw Area Overhaul"
This series attempts to provide a "midway progress report" for a major, $25 million effort by the Los Angeles Urban League to "address academic problems at Crenshaw High School," and several other "social ills" that bother the neighborhood that surrounds the campus. Reporters interviewed members of the community, school and local law enforcement in an effort to report on the progress of the program. They found the Urban League's Neighborhoods@Work program "met some goals and fell short of others."
Tags: Los Angeles Urban League; Crenshaw High; LAPD; L.A. Unified School District; L.A. City Attorney's Office; California Public Records Act; records request
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"The Clarks, an American story"
Reporter Bill Dedman tells the story of the Clark family. What started as a feature story quickly morphed into an investigative story, which then led to a "breaking story about a district attorney's investigation." Dedman revealed that the wealthy Clark family has ties to the Civil War era. Dedman became interested in the story when he decided to investigate why Huguette Clark's mansions are "sitting vacant."
Tags: Civil War; mansions; public records
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Crash Reports
The reporter finds that a new district attorney chooses not to follow up on pending negligent vehicular homicide cases, thereby enabling many of the drivers to continue driving on the road.
Tags: car accident; manslaughter; driver; district attorney; crash report
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"Sexting DA"
AP reporter Ryan Foley revealed that prominent Wisconsin District Attorney Ken Kratz was sending harassing text messages to female victims; women whom he was supposed to be protecting. When the sexual harassment was reported to the authorities, "legal regulators and colleagues" kept the allegations private in an attempt to protect the reputation of the DA.
Tags: DA; Ken Kratz; district attorney; Wisconsin; public records; Jim Doyle; Calumet County; Crime Victims' Rights Board; Department of Justice; Chilton; Madison
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"Iran's Manhattan Project"
This investigative report reveals how Iran has "been able to launder billions" of dollars, with assistance from New York banks, to improve their nuclear weapons program. The U.S. has relied on "unenforceable sanctions" that have allowed Iran to easily bypass the measures in place. After their permission to film was "revoked," the investigative team posed as tourists to get the rest of the story.
Tags: Dubai; Emirate; UAE; nuclear weapons; Islamic Republic; Tehran; Mahmoud Ahmadinejad; Manhattan District Attorney; Robert Morgenthau; Alavi Foundation