Policing and Criminal Justice

Their names have become famous: Eric Garner, Michael Brown, Alton Sterling, Tamir Rice, Philando Castile, and now George Floyd. All were black men or boys killed by police, and their deaths sparked outrage and protests across the nation and the globe. Following these tragedies, APM Reports has produced stories investigating police tactics, training, hiring practices, weapons and efforts to hold officers accountable for abuse. In addition, reporters have examined numerous criminal justice issues.

March 31, 2022

St. Louis' murder total has fallen, but some killings went uncounted

St. Louis officials are celebrating a big drop in murders while the city’s police classify more and more killings as “justifiable homicides” instead.

November 22, 2021

St. Louis cops are hiding key details about homicide cases from the public

Despite killings on the rise and the highest homicide rate among big cities, St. Louis police say they don’t have to tell the public which cases have been solved. APM Reports has filed a lawsuit for the information.

June 24, 2021

21 states still don’t require de-escalation training for police

Studies have shown that teaching officers to de-escalate confrontations can reduce violent encounters, but many states don’t mandate it.

April 17, 2021

The Jail Tapes in the Dumpster

A murder conviction sent Myon Burrell to prison for life when he was a teenager. An investigative reporter dug into what seemed a hopeless case. What she found helped free him.

March 2, 2021

Mississippi to pay Curtis Flowers $500,000 for his decades behind bars

Judge orders state to give Flowers the maximum compensation for his wrongful conviction.

October 14, 2020

Will Doug Evans face accountability?

Prosecutors across the country rarely face consequences for misconduct.

September 11, 2020

Judge dismisses lawsuit against DA Doug Evans

The suit had asked a federal court to prevent Evans’ office from dismissing jurors because of their race.

September 4, 2020

Charges against Curtis Flowers are dropped

The Mississippi man who was tried six times for the same crime and whose case was the subject of Season 2 of the APM Reports podcast In the Dark sees his two-decade saga come to an end.

June 30, 2020

What happened at Minneapolis' 3rd Precinct — and what it means

Faced with angry, violent protesters after George Floyd’s death, Minneapolis city leaders made the unprecedented decision to abandon a police station. It marked not only the further erosion of the department’s relationship with the community, but perhaps the beginning of a shift in American policing.

June 17, 2020

Atlanta cop who killed Rayshard Brooks had prior controversial shooting

Officer Garrett Rolfe was involved in a questionable and bizarre 2015 incident.

March 17, 2020

Vermont police shooting was preventable, report finds

A state commission spent two years investigating the 2016 death of Phil Grenon, who was killed by officers after a Taser failed to subdue him.

January 28, 2020

Myon Burrell

APM Reports teamed up with the Associated Press to investigate the murder case against 16-year-old Myon Burrell. Burrell was serving a life sentence for the 2002 shooting death of 11-year-old Tyesha Edwards in Minneapolis. In December 2020, Burrell's sentence was commuted and he was released after 18 years in prison.

January 6, 2020

Mississippi prosecutor Doug Evans takes himself off the Curtis Flowers case

The district attorney who's tried Flowers six times for the same crime will no longer handle the prosecution.

December 22, 2019

What Loper's about-face means for the Curtis Flowers case

The Mississippi judge has the power to prevent a seventh trial.

December 22, 2019

The day in photos: Curtis Flowers' release

Scenes from the extraordinary day the Mississippi man was freed on bail.

December 16, 2019

Curtis Flowers released on bail

A Mississippi judge allows Flowers to leave jail to await a possible seventh trial.

November 18, 2019

Doug Evans sued for using race in jury selection

The NAACP and four black plaintiffs take Mississippi prosecutor Doug Evans to court to halt the "odious practice" of "racially discriminatory jury selection."

November 1, 2019

Taser maker settles lawsuit with cop who claimed the weapon was underpowered

It's a small amount of money for a former Houston officer, though a rare settlement for Axon, which faces a similar claim in New Orleans.

October 3, 2019

Noted North Carolina attorney to join Curtis Flowers' defense team

Henderson Hill, an experienced death penalty lawyer, will help defend the Mississippi man ahead of a possible seventh murder trial.

September 23, 2019

Curtis Flowers leaves Parchman prison, returns to county jail

Three months after the Supreme Court reversed his conviction, Curtis Flowers is taken off death row to await a possible seventh trial.

September 19, 2019

Flowers' defense files motions for bail, dismissal

New civil rights lawyer cites obscure law for bail request and prosecutor's "unseemly tactics" for dismissal.

July 2, 2019

Clemmie Fleming becomes second major witness to recant in Curtis Flowers case

She says she felt pressured to testify against Curtis Flowers in all six trials.

July 2, 2019

Where was Willie James Hemphill on the morning of the Tardy murders?

His alibi didn't check out.

July 2, 2019

Willie James Hemphill's long criminal record

During nearly 30 years of crimes, he's shown a quick temper, and a penchant for daytime robberies and violence against women.

June 21, 2019

Curtis Flowers wins appeal at U.S. Supreme Court

The Supreme Court has reversed Curtis Flowers' 2010 conviction, ruling that prosecutors excluded African-Americans from the jury.

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