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 "offenses" ...
-
Crime Data Investigation
The initial story in the crime data investigation found that from 2009 to early 2012 the Milwaukee Police Department misreported more than 500 aggravated assaults as lesser offenses not counted in the city’s violent crime tally. More than 800 additional cases followed the same pattern but couldn’t be verified with available records. Subsequent stories found police underreported aggravated assaults even when their own officers were severely injured; police clerks routinely changed dangerous weapon codes to generic ones in a way that allowed violent assaults to be underreported — and escape FBI scrutiny; the FBI’s crime auditing process is a fig leaf — metro police departments are rarely audited, and even then the sample sizes are too small to draw meaningful conclusions; Milwaukee police knew they misreported rapes and robberies, but didn’t mention this to city leaders or the public; high-ranking department officials raised red flags internally for years that there were problems but the public only heard a drumbeat that crime was down. In addition to these major installments, Poston and Diedrich wrote nearly two dozen follow-up stories that documented the fallout.
Tags: Crime data; police; assaults; city government
-
FACT CHECK: Daniel Acker Report Ignored
Through our investigation we found that a teacher, that was convicted of sexually molesting a student, was accused of a similar offense years before, but the report was not acted upon. We confronted former board members about the issue to find out why they did not remove the teacher from his position. Their answers were startling and exposed a process that is now in question.
Tags: broadcast; teacher; students; sexual abuse; sex offense
-
Catch and Release
California, using the term "realignment", chose to lessen the overcrowded prison population by paroling what corrections officials said were the least violent offenders on parole. Yet parole officers told KCRA that even sex offenders were now breaking the law - living with kids, near schools, even cutting off their GPS anklets - and facing no time in prison. Our investigation reviewed more than 8,000 parolees and their re-offenses over the last year. We also used internal sources to find that the state was preparing to review nearly ten thousand absconders in order to wipe them off the prison books.
Tags: Prison realignment; parole; sex offenders; parolees
-
Both Sides of the Law
At least 93 Milwaukee police officers have been disciplined for violating laws and ordinances they were sworn to uphold. The offenses range from sexual assault and domestic violence to drunken driving and shoplifting. Officers who run afoul of the law often aren't fired or prosecuted, and they are allowed to continue enforcing laws the very laws they have broken.
Tags: police misconduct; police department; discipline; law enforcment
-
Still Waiting After All These Years
The story examines the scandal of America's untested rape kits and tells the story of one woman who waited 13 years for her kit to be processed, during which time her attacker raped again. The story illustrates a larger issue -- a staggering 180,000 rape kits remain untested nationwide.
Tags: rape; rape kits; sex offense; untested rape kits
-
Fugitive Sex Offenders
State and federal authorities have lost track of 100,000 of the nation's 700,000 convicted sex offenders. This report examines the sex offender oversight that was supposed to have been addressed by a landmark 2006 law requiring states to keep uniform records on sex offenders. Only four states complied with this law.
Tags: sex offense; oversight; FOIA; sex offender tracking; AWOL
-
Juvenile Justice
“A massive conspiracy had corrupted the juvenile system of one Pennsylvania County”. Two judges, who are to use their power for good were using it to make money. They were working together to send teen offenders to prisons, even for their first minor offenses. These judges were making money from a private jail owners for every teen sent to prison.
Tags: Mark Ciavarella; courtroom; court; legal system; Michael Conahan; detention center; law enforcement
-
"The Spy Who Loved Us"
Thomas A. Bass tells the story of famous reporter turned spy, Pham Xuan An. While working as a journalist for Time and acting as bureau chief in Saigon, An was also North Vietnam's top spy for 20 years. While he kept his cover, An received 16 military medals, most being awarded "for direct involvement in military campaigns." In his book, Bass focuses on the "elusive relationship between" journalists and "spies at war."
Tags: Vietnam War; Communist; North Vietnam; Time; Ho Chi Minh; spy; Ap Bac; Tet Offensive; Orange Coast College
-
Clery Crime Reporting Errors
"Stories documented the university's failure to disclose sex offenses, burglaries and other crimes on the Tarleton campus. None of 10 sex offenses reported by federal law, to DOE. Further, the university disclosed only about half of the burglaries that took place on campus".
Tags: college; education; students; crime; police; law enforcement; records; underreported; university; Department of Education(DOE)
-
A Passing Offense
"The WFAA-TV series, "A Passing Offense," revealed a systematic problem inside the Dallas public schools in which athletic excellence was prized over academic success. Despite a statewide "No Pass, No Play" rule that required athletes to achieve passing academic scores to continue to play sports, the rule was often flouted to win championships."
Tags: academics; sports; grade manipulation; athletes; high school; test scores; FOIA