By 斯蒂芬妮·库克(18届硕士)
插图: 丹尼尔·赞德,ProPublica特别报道 (缩略图和顶部),丽莎·拉尔森-沃克/ProPublica (中间)
Printed on the rear doors of each white and blue New York Police Department vehicle are the words, “礼貌, 专业, 尊重." But those words weren’t on the unmarked NYPD cruiser that struck a Black teenager in Brooklyn on Halloween in 2019.
Several witnesses watched as the vehicle drove against traffic up a one-way street, pursuing a group of teenage boys before hitting one of the kids who jumped into the street. 这些证人中有埃里克·乌曼斯基的妻子和6岁的女儿, ProPublica的副总编辑, who spent the rest of that night and the days that followed searching for information about what had transpired and whether the officers would be punished.
“There was footage and plenty of witnesses, and I happen to be an investigative journalist,” Umansky写道. “我以为至少有机会找到答案. Instead, the episode crystallized all of the ways in which the NYPD is shielded from accountability.”
That night sparked a searing investigation into how the country’s largest police department maintains impunity from public oversight and the toll that impunity takes on the city’s civilians––especially those who are marginalized and most at risk.
ProPublica的10集系列”纽约警局档案是今年Al Nakkula警察报道奖的获得者, co-sponsored by The Denver Press Club and the 博彩平台推荐's 传媒、传播与信息学院.
“ProPublica’s ‘NYPD Files’ blew us away and stood out clearly as our top choice despite an astonishingly excellent series of contenders,科罗拉多大学新闻团主任兼首席评委查克·普伦基特说. “当博彩平台推荐讨论一揽子计划时, we noted that any number of the stories in the 10-part series could have been offered as a standalone entry and easily reached finalist consideration.”
《博彩app推荐》 details persistent reports of the department withholding evidence from the Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB), which investigates civilian complaints against the police, and in many cases 推翻该机构的调查结果. 总之,这些故事揭示了一个不透明的系统 赋予警察局长单方权力 谁只对市长负责. 市长, 反过来, faces a powerful police union that wields its extensive resources and influence to shield its own.
该系列还突出了受这种制度影响的人的故事 纽约警察局的高级官员 promoted up the ranks despite a history of complaints by Black and Latino men accusing him of conducting invasive and illegal strip searches; the 32岁黑人男子 with mental health issues who was tased and shot by officers trained to respond to those in crisis with empathy rather than force; the 臭名昭著的副警官 protected by the department despite numerous allegations of false arrests and sexual misconduct––each representing many others like them whose stories remain untold.
也许这个系列最值得注意的元素是它的 检索数据库, which offers the public an unprecedented look into the records of officers with one or more complaints substantiated by the CCRB, 追溯到1985年. 这些数据不仅对公众可见, but its contents can be downloaded for the use of additional reporting by data experts.
“细节 kept secret by 50-a, a state law that has barred the public from seeing police 纪律记录. 但在乔治·弗洛伊德被杀后,全国范围内呼吁改革 促使纽约立法者废除了这项法律,ProPublica总编辑斯蒂芬·恩格尔伯格写道. “因为他的来源和对记录的理解, Umansky was able to quickly request and obtain a trove of them no one else had, just before unions successfully fought in court to temporarily block the city from releasing records.”
从这些数据中得出的许多惊人启示之一是,在2018年, CCRB能够证实的只有大约3个中的73个,000起滥用武力的指控——只有2起.4%.
“ProPublica's entry stood out because of its focus on real people - both those who are hurt by police actions and those who turn to the media for stories that help them navigate the world,法官唐娜·布莱森说, 国家事务编辑 路透. “That regard for readers was evident to me in ProPublica's decision to publish the data it had on police disciplinary records in ways readers can use, and its requests embedded in the stories to readers to submit their own stories of NYPD misconduct.”
According to Plunkett, the judges deadlocked when deciding this year’s honorable mentions. 两名亚军包括 《博彩app推荐》 报告"记忆室"和 路易斯维尔信使报对布雷欧娜·泰勒的广泛报道.
自2020年3月以来, 快递杂志 记者达西·科斯特洛, 泰杜瓦尔, 卡拉Kachmar, 莎拉·拉德, 马特·门卡里尼和安德鲁·沃尔夫森 发表了上百篇博彩app推荐布雷欧娜·泰勒的报道 and uncovered critical pieces of information that cast doubt on the police accounts of her death.
“总之, 快递杂志 在她死后写了950多篇博彩app推荐布雷欧娜·泰勒的故事. And we’re nowhere near finished,” writes News Director and Director of Investigations Mike Trautmann. “The newsroom’s diligence and perseverance in uncovering the truth and holding law enforcement and the city accountable has made it the predominant source in the U.S. Breonna Taylor新闻.”
“记忆室,” by 《博彩app推荐》 记者Dave Boucher和Lauren McGaughy, explores the case of a Southern Methodist University student beaten in her bed by an intruder. Without evidence to rely on, Dallas police turned to the controversial technique of hypnosis.
“在流行文化中,催眠只是一种舞台表演. 但在德克萨斯州,这是一个生死攸关的问题。 《博彩app推荐》 调查编辑Karisa King报道. “‘记忆室’ combined compelling storytelling with shoe leather reporting, data analysis and legal research to shed light on a dangerous police practice that remained in the shadows for decades.”
In addition to Plunkett and Bryson, this year’s judges include Shelly Bradbury, court reporter for 《博彩平台推荐》; Jeff Roberts, director of the Colorado Freedom of Information Coalition; and Allison Sherry, 科罗拉多公共广播电台移民和刑事司法记者.
The Al Nakkula award for police reporting will be presented to Umansky and ProPublica during The Denver Press Club’s Damon Runyon Award dinner, 将于今年秋天举行. 该奖项是为了纪念已故的Al Nakkula,他是一名46岁的退伍军人 落基山新闻 是谁的坚韧使他成为传奇的警察记者. Nakkula于1990年去世.
“在天堂的某个地方, Al Nakkula is hugely impressed and thrilled to have his namesake prize awarded to this stellar team of talented, 勤奋的记者,普伦基特写道.