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 "self-defense" ...
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No Sense of Justice
These stories found that no police shooting inquest in Milwaukee over the past twenty years ever resulted in criminal charges. In one case, an off-duty police officer shot and killed someone who tried to steal his lawnmower; the officer was let off with no consequences. The investigation found several cases in which the juries did not completely acquit the police officer, but still the shootings were written off as justifiable. Besides exposing this problem, the investigation offers some suggestions for reform.
Tags: police brutality; force; self-defense; shooting; excessive force; justice; courts
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Tasers
This investigation was the first to report on the increasing number of deaths related to Taser stun guns. The reporters found that more than 40 deaths were caused by the stun guns and that the manufacturer was reluctant to acknowledge them.
Tags: weapons; self-defense; stun guns; shock; personal security; safety
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The Jack in the Box Shootings
The Post-Dispatch refutes the official police version about the shooting of two suspects by undercover drug detectives in June 2000. The story reveals that -- contrary to what the detectives claimed -- the suspects' car was moving away from the detectives when they fired, not forward toward the detectives.
Tags: crime; collision expertise; Missouri Sunshine Law; law enforcement; self-defense; African Americans; U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency
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Who can you trust? Auditors, analyst and earnings are supposed to help you. Too often they don't.
Barlett reports that "with financial markets in Tokyo, Seoul, and Moscow imploding, investors are flocking to the U.S., where they know certain bedrock principles still apply..." but "regulators are stepping up the public pressure on companies and accountants." Business week devotes this story to examining the depth of the problem, identifying solutions, and educating investors in self-defense.
Tags: auditors; books; investors; principles; markets; stock
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Good cop? Bad cop?
Thompson examines the events surrounding the death of a homeless man who was shot by a police officer. The officer says he had to act out of self-defense. Some, however, believe this to be untrue. The Bay Guardian investigates both sides of the issue.
Tags: police; self-defense; murder; Sean Lynch; Jimmy Robert
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WNEM Investigates Flint 9-1-1
A WNEM-TV investigation reveals that the lateness of a 9-1-1 emergency call center has led to a homicide. The report details how "16-year-old Gowan Younger called for help when his uncle attacked him with a knife." The 9-1-1 tapes, obtained by WNEM-TV, have proved that the emergency center staff were late helping and the teen shot his uncle when he attacked him again. The story has resulted in dismissing the charges against the teen.
Tags: TAPE; TRANSCRIPT; FOIA; crime; courts; self-defense; manslaughter; guns
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Detroit Police: Lethal Force, Lasting Questions
The series analyzed FBI data and found out that 'The Detroit Police department leads the nation's largest cities in its officers' rate of fatal shootings...Police executives have failed to create a comprehensive risk management program to identify problem officers, practices and policies that have cost the city nearly $ 124 million since 1987." The investigative team dissected a dozen questionable police shootings, "revealing how detectives ignored evidence and witnesses in their haste to clear officers." After the four-part series had been produced, the reporters obtained a copy and published the findings of a secret report that documented the Detroit Police Department's shortcomings.
Tags: FBI; Detroit; police officers; fatal shootings; civilians; self-defense; civil courts; lawsuits; city officials; the Detroit Police Commission; the U.S. Department of Justice
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Home is where the Hurt Is
This article examines a statute in Colorado referred to as the "Make My Day Law," which allows homeowners to shoot to kill any intruder into their home and fear no legal repercussions. Upon examination, Dexheimer found that "in the 50-odd times the law had been used, circumstances were seldom as clear as supporters might have hoped when Make My Day was passed. Rarely was an innocent homeowner accosted in his home by a stranger and forced to shoot to protect his life and property. Rather, the killings were much, much messier..."
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Hunting Justice
A cattle rancher named Michael Erickson killed two hunters trespassing on the family property. The local district attorney charged Erickson with two counts of first degree murder and seeks the death penalty. The report shows that hunters secretly handed the local prosecutor money to help him build a case. After two mistrials, the D.A. is going to try the case a third time. For the first time ever, Erickson talks to a reporter about the killings and claims self defense.
Tags: TAPE
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A Case of Self-Defense Shakes Up the System
Ms. Magazine investigates rape, sexism, justice, and the woman's place in Mexican society. The story focuses on the trial of Claudia Rodriguez, a Mexican woman who shot and killed an acquaintance trying to rape her. Prosecutors charged Rodriguez with murder despite evidence supporting her self-defense claim. Prosecutors also kept her in jail for a year and a week with the argument that Rodriguez should have known her attacker's intentions because Rodriguez was sober and her attacker was drunk.
Tags: Criminal justice system