Pregnancy-Related Arrests Spiked During Last 16 Years, Report Finds
Legal experts who spoke with The Appeal warned the criminal justice system will continue to target pregnant people in the coming years.
Meg O'Connor Sep 19, 2023
Ex-Phoenix Cop’s Misconduct Hangs Over Jacob Harris Case
Jacob Harris’s father is heading to appeals court on Wednesday. Federal judges will decide the fate of his wrongful death suit against the city of Phoenix.
Meg O'Connor Sep 13, 2023
Los Angeles Commits Another $1 Billion to LAPD Despite Falling Violent Crime
Police say they need pay raises to help with hiring and retention. But crime has been falling in LA, even as the department reports having its lowest number of officers in decades.
Meg O'Connor Aug 23, 2023
‘They Killed Freddie Gray’: New Book Reveals Dark, Hidden Truth About Gray’s Death
In her new book, “They Killed Freddie Gray”, Justine Barron reveals much of what the public has believed about Gray’s death is incorrect.
Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg Aug 23, 2023
To Cut Down on Shoplifting, Let’s Arrest Some CEOs
Online marketplaces like Amazon and eBay make billions from shoplifted products. Why are police and lawmakers focusing on small-time thieves?
Ethan Corey May 31, 2023
Phoenix Is Clearing Its Largest Homeless Encampment. The ACLU Says It’s Breaking the Law.
As Phoenix begins to displace around 700 people from an encampment near downtown, the ACLU of Arizona is asking a judge to find the city in contempt of a court order prohibiting it from violating the rights of the unhoused.
Meg O'Connor May 18, 2023
Kathy Hochul’s ‘Pro-Suffering’ Campaign Against Bail Reform
The New York governor is making an appeal to “mob justice” as she threatens to take her state back decades on issues of pretrial justice and policing.
Victor Dempsey, MK Kaishian Apr 11, 2023
Police Killed His Son. Prosecutors Charged The Teen’s Friends with His Murder.
It’s been four years since a Phoenix police officer killed Jacob Harris. Records obtained by The Appeal show officials have made inconsistent or false statements about the night police killed him. As Harris’s friends grow up behind bars, his father won’t stop until he gets justice for his son.
Meg O'Connor Mar 14, 2023
Without Political Change, Police Brutality Footage Has Become Trauma Porn
Absent structural organizing and actual political change, societal consumption of anti-Black violence instead reinforces the dehumanization of Black people that is central to white supremacy.
Nneka Ewulonu Mar 08, 2023
Report: Nearly 200 New Orleans Cops Were Accused Of Sexual Misconduct, Domestic Violence, or Harassment
A judge ruled the report can be used as evidence in the civil case against an ex-NOPD officer who sexually assaulted a teenage rape victim.
Meg O'Connor Mar 07, 2023
Police Surveillance Firms Are Just Data-Brokers by Another Name
ShotSpotter, Flock Safety, and Fog Data Science pitch themselves as third-party public-safety platforms, but they really are are “data brokers”—companies that profit by selling bulk information to others.
Edward Vogel Feb 01, 2023
Tyre Nichols’s Killing Has Everything to Do With Race
“That Black officers can also be the face of police brutality against Black people doesn’t disprove the racism at the institution’s core,” writes Ieshaah Murphy.
Ieshaah Murphy Jan 31, 2023
Riots Work: An interview with Alex Mingus
Police gave Alex Mingus an award for saving a shooting victim’s life. Mingus showed up wearing a shirt that said “Smash white supremacy”.
Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg Nov 16, 2022
A New Class of Candidates Seeks to Transform L.A.’s Approach to Housing, Justice
After a scandal engulfed some of L.A.’s most powerful politicians, a slate of progressive candidates is running on new approaches for tackling homelessness and mass incarceration.
Francisco Aviles Pino Nov 08, 2022
New School Year, Same School-to-Prison Pipeline
The fight to remove cops from classrooms is still raging, with some successes.
Anna Simonton Sep 14, 2022
Why the U.S. Marshals Spend Millions on Sex-Offense Registrant Sweeps
The real aim of these operations might be to boost support for cops.
Steven Yoder Jul 08, 2022
More Black Representation on Police Forces Will Not Solve Police Violence
In the wake of more horrific police killings, it’s important to remember that Black cops cannot fix America’s fundamentally broken and racist policing system.
Mustafa Ali-Smith Mar 17, 2022
Police Disinformation Is Still Disinformation
It’s Giving Tuesday! And a generous donor has pledged to match the first $5,000 we receive today. If you love this newsletter and The Appeal’s reporting, now is the best time to give. With your help we can make major headway toward funding more vital journalism in 2022. Photo by Joseph Ngabo at Unsplash Police […]
Jerry Iannelli Nov 30, 2021
Police Threats Over Vaccine Mandates Are Proving Empty
If you missed it last week, we’ve officially kicked off our year-end fundraising campaign through NewsMatch, an industry-wide program to sustain journalism through matching gifts on the local and national level. Through Dec. 31, NewsMatch will match your new monthly donation (at 12 times the value), or double your one-time gift, all up to $1,000. […]
Nick Wing Nov 16, 2021
The Dishonest Blame Game of Retail Store Closures and Crime
Reporters who parrot corporate claims of out-of-control theft play into a narrative that benefits big business and perpetuates carceral policies.
Kyle C. Barry Jun 22, 2021
How a Troubled Police Department Is Shaping Buffalo’s Mayoral Race
Citing years of police brutality and racial disparities in arrests, activists are pushing candidates to embrace reforms ahead of next week’s Democratic primaries.
Raina Lipsitz Jun 15, 2021
Baltimore City State’s Attorney Will Curb Prosecutions of Low-Level Traffic Violations
A new diversion program will allow people charged with driving with a suspended license or without insurance to avoid jail time and fees.
Joshua Vaughn Mar 29, 2021
Tishaura Jones and Cara Spencer Win St. Louis Mayoral Primary
The two candidates will move on to the April 6 general election after securing the most votes under the city’s new approval voting system.
Meg O'Connor Mar 02, 2021
Tishaura Jones Wants to Change St. Louis
Jones says her experience transforming the treasurer’s office will make her an effective mayor. Voters will let candidates know what they think next week.
Meg O'Connor Feb 25, 2021
‘Captain Taser’
A Vallejo police lieutenant has a long history of excessive force allegations in a department that is under investigation by the California Department of Justice—and he continues to rise in the ranks.
Brian Krans Jan 21, 2021
The Cops at the Capitol
Law enforcement officers from around the country attended and supported last week’s rally in support of President Trump that sparked a riot.
Jonathan Ben-Menachem Jan 13, 2021
What Public Safety Without Police Looks Like
From San Francisco to Philadelphia, cities across the country are creating fully unarmed response teams to address emergencies that used to call for cops.
Jerry Iannelli, Joshua Vaughn Jan 08, 2021
Partners in Crime: The Siege on the Capitol, Police, and White Supremacy
The historical connections were on full display during Wednesday’s violence at the Capitol.
Jerry Iannelli Jan 08, 2021
These Cops Lied In Court. But Since The D.A. Isn’t Keeping A Brady List, They Could Testify Again
The case illustrates the importance of keeping lists of police officers with histories of misconduct or dishonesty, the defense lawyer in the case says.
Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg Dec 18, 2020
What Prosecutors Should Learn from 2020’s Pandemic and Protests
In the new year, every prosecutor’s office should commit to protecting victims and workers, holding police accountable, and keeping families together.
Chesa Boudin Dec 17, 2020
Reformer Ed Gonzalez Wins Second Term As Harris County Sheriff
Houston area voters re-elected Gonzalez after he supported bail reform, cleaned up the county jail, and provided aid to incarcerated people living with opioid use disorder.
Jerry Iannelli Nov 04, 2020
NYPD Unit At Center Of Protest Policing Has Dozens Of Officers With Long Misconduct Histories
Civil liberties experts say the Strategic Response Group’s recent crackdown on ICE protests is the most brutal suppression of protests in decades—and many of its officers are the subject of significant misconduct allegations, including a supervisor with 32 complaints.
Ali Winston Oct 15, 2020
Policing Studies Measure Benefits To Crime Reduction—But Not Social Costs
Research has shown only that police can be sufficient, not that they are necessary.
John Pfaff Oct 02, 2020
California Needs A Community-Based Response To People In Crisis, Not Law Enforcement
Governor Newsom should sign the CRISES Act into law this week and invest in community partners who support people in crisis situations.
Asantewaa Boykin Sep 29, 2020
In a Small Illinois City, A Black Man Died After Officers Shoved A Baton In His Mouth. Black Officers Say They’ve Suffered At The Hands Of The Department, Too.
Lawsuits from Joliet Police Department officers are among at least 12 current federal complaints against the agency. The men say their civil rights lawsuits are part of a decades-long history of discrimination.
Jerry Iannelli Sep 25, 2020
Texas Family Wants Justice For Deadly No-Knock Drug Raid
In February 2019, police officers in Killeen shot James Scott Reed in his home. One officer entered a guilty plea to evidence tampering, but Reed’s family is still suing the city and several officers in federal court.
Jerry Iannelli Sep 04, 2020
His Brother Called For Help After He Was Acting Strangely. Police Knelt On Him Until He Was Brain Dead.
Body camera video shows that Daniel Prude was complying with police when they knelt on his back and pushed his face to the ground for so long that he stopped breathing.
Meg O'Connor Sep 02, 2020
NYPD Expands Use Of Controversial Subpoenas To Criminal Cases
Administrative subpoenas—which do not require a judge’s approval—are typically used for the department’s internal investigations, but The Appeal has learned that they are being used in criminal cases.
Ali Winston Aug 25, 2020
Social Workers Are Rejecting Calls For Them to Replace Police
Some say their roles are already too close to those of law enforcement and are organizing for a radical rethinking of the profession.
Mia Sato Aug 20, 2020