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.

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

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.

July 2, 2019

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

His alibi didn't check out.

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.

May 9, 2019

Tasers are less reliable than their maker has claimed. The results can be deadly

Tasers have become an essential tool for police, but how effective are they? An APM Reports investigation finds that officers in some big cities rated Tasers as unreliable up to 40 percent of the time, and in three large departments, newer models were less effective than older ones. In 258 cases over three years, a Taser failed to subdue someone who was then shot and killed by police.

May 9, 2019

How we did it: Methods used to test the relationship between Taser model and effectiveness

Data from three big police departments — and various statistical analyses — allowed us to compare newer and older models.

March 26, 2019

Flowers v. Mississippi: An annotated transcript of oral arguments at the U.S. Supreme Court

The full transcript of oral arguments in the Curtis Flowers case, with analysis, context and fact-checks from our team of reporters.

March 25, 2019

Klobuchar didn't prosecute controversial police killings or brutality cases as a county attorney

The presidential candidate relied on grand juries to charge cops — seen today as avoiding accountability — and shied from getting between police and diverse communities during a violent time in Minneapolis.

March 20, 2019

Justice Brett Kavanaugh may be key to freeing Curtis Flowers

At oral arguments, questions from the Supreme Court's newest justice — and a possible swing vote — seemed to side with the Mississippi death row inmate's claim that he was the victim of racial discrimination in jury selection.

March 19, 2019

The fuzzy math in the state's case

In a brief to the Supreme Court, the Mississippi Attorney General's office offers a misleading argument.

March 19, 2019

How might the Supreme Court rule in Flowers v. Mississippi?

A discussion with Supreme Court observer Dan Epps.

March 18, 2019

For Curtis Flowers, a question of race

An APM Reports analysis finds prosecutors asked African-Americans three times more questions than whites in jury selection.

March 15, 2019

The five jury strikes that could decide Curtis Flowers' fate

Inside the 2010 jury selection at the heart of the Supreme Court case.

March 14, 2019

The Supreme Court cases that could free Curtis Flowers

The outcome of Flowers v. Mississippi may hinge on how justices interpret a few key precedents designed to bring more fairness and equality to jury selection.

March 13, 2019

Flowers v. Mississippi: What to expect

How the arguments in the Curtis Flowers case might play out before the Supreme Court.

March 5, 2019

Doug Evans running unopposed for reelection

The controversial Mississippi prosecutor will win another four-year term and could decide if Curtis Flowers faces a seventh trial.

December 12, 2018

Curtis Flowers' lawyers want answers from Doug Evans

In its latest filing, the defense team wants a chance to question the prosecutor under oath.

December 3, 2018

A fire in Winona

After Nelson Forrest spoke out about the Curtis Flowers case, his house went up in flames.

November 2, 2018

Supreme Court agrees to hear Curtis Flowers appeal

In looking at the controversial Mississippi death penalty case, the justices will examine if District Attorney Doug Evans had a history of racial discrimination in jury selection.

September 21, 2018

Why law enforcement didn't see that Danny Heinrich killed Jacob Wetterling

A new Stearns County sheriff let loose a condemnation of the investigation, declaring that there were "20 things" law enforcement bungled. This is a brief analysis of some of the key flaws of the investigation by the journalists who produced the first season of In The Dark, a podcast that first revealed many of the failures two years ago.

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