Police Abuse
A Police Group's Comments on Civil Asset Forfeiture Show Exactly Why It Needs Reform
"You've got to be able to demonstrate some level of legitimacy" the head of the National Sheriffs' Association says of carrying large amounts of cash.
Who Killed Elijah McClain? Mixed Verdicts Reflect a Cascade of Ultimately Fatal Mistakes.
Juries convicted two paramedics and one police officer of criminally negligent homicide but acquitted two other cops.
Fresno Police Ignored Claims of Domestic Violence. Now, the City Will Pay $500,000.
Two women reported attacks and threats from abusive ex-partners to the police. A lawsuit claimed they were ignored.
'I Relied on Others,' 'Documents Were Filed in the Wrong Place,' and Other Memorable Excuses
The year's highlights in blame shifting.
Trump's Promise to 'Indemnify' Cops 'Against Any and All Liability' Is Absurd for 2 Reasons
Police officers already are routinely indemnified, and suing them for abuse is much harder than Trump claims.
10-Year-Old Kid Offered Probation for Peeing Behind His Mom's Car
His mom is rejecting the prosecutors' absurdly strict probation rules.
This Innocent Woman Is on the Hook for Thousands After a SWAT Team Destroyed Her Home
An error-prone investigation in search of a fugitive led police to Amy Hadley's house.
Video Shows Vermont State Trooper Arrest Man for Flipping Him Off
FIRE and the ACLU of Vermont are now representing the man in a free speech lawsuit.
Colorado Cops Falsely Arrested Him for a DUI. Now He's Getting a $400,000 Settlement.
In 2020, Harris Elias was arrested for driving drunk even though tests showed he was completely sober. After filing a lawsuit, he's getting a hefty settlement payout.
Ohio Vice Cop Who Got Away With Killing Sex Worker Pleads Guilty in Kidnapping Case
Andrew Mitchell, who was acquitted on state murder charges in April, plead guilty this month to abducting and detaining two sex worker victims.
Mississippi Cops Buried a Missing Man. His Family Only Found Out When NBC News Revealed It.
An NBC investigation revealed how Jackson, Mississippi, police keep burying people in pauper's graves after failing to inform their families about their deaths.
Taxpayer-Subsidized Seminars Train Cops To Violate the Constitution
A report from New Jersey's comptroller criticizes Street Cop Training for encouraging illegal traffic stops.
Alabama Police Officer on Leave After Viral Video Shows Her Tasing Handcuffed, Compliant Man
The Alabama State Bureau of Investigation is now looking into the incident as well.
Want To Challenge Your Speed Camera Ticket? That'll Be $100.
Only 536 people live in this Ohio town that issues 1,800 speeding tickets per month.
Wyoming Cop Assaulted a Disabled 8-Year-Old, Then Deleted the Body Camera Footage, Lawsuit Claims
A new lawsuit alleges that Deputy Benjamin Jacquot, a school resource officer, slammed an 8-year-old's face into a conference room floor, causing bruises and lacerations.
Florida Supreme Court Rules Police Can't Use Marsy's Law To Hide Names of Officers Who Shoot People
"Marsy's Law guarantees to no victim—police officer or otherwise—the categorical right to withhold his or her name from disclosure," the Florida Supreme Court ruled.
How Reason Changes Minds, Lives, and Laws by Covering Criminal Injustice
Yet another reason to donate to Reason's annual webathon!
Mississippi Sheriff Insists He Was Oblivious to His Drug Warriors' Long Pattern of Brutality
Years before a federal case shined a light on the problem, Rankin County Sheriff Bryan Bailey should have known something was amiss.
Texas Troopers Killed 74 People in Vehicle Chases Since Implementing Controversial Border Program
From March 2021 to July 2023, 74 people were killed and nearly 200 were injured in vehicle chases occurring in counties affected by Operation Lone Star.
Maryland Roommates File Lawsuit After Police Shot Their Dog During Alleged Illegal Home Search
Officers barged into their house without a warrant, shot their dog, and mocked them, a federal civil rights lawsuit says.
NYPD Will Spend Nearly $400 Million to Hide its Radio Communications
NYPD radio frequencies have been open to the public since 1932. A new encrypted system will end that.
Goodbye to Detroit's Asset Forfeiture Racket
Wayne County was seizing cars and using its less-fortunate residents as piggy banks.
This Cop Was Acquitted for His Role in the Breonna Taylor Raid. The Feds Are Prosecuting Him—Again.
Maybe Brett Hankison shouldn't have been found not guilty, but he was. The Constitution says it should stop there.
Cops Stormed Into a Terrified Seattle Woman's Home. It Was the Wrong Address.
Elisabeth Rehn was about to take a bath when police officers kicked down her door, flooded into her apartment, and pointed their guns at her.
Civil Forfeiture Defendants Have the Right to a Jury Trial, Says the Indiana Supreme Court
That prosecutors in the Hoosier State successfully denied people this due process is a reflection of how abusive civil forfeiture can be.
Illinois Family Files Lawsuit After Police Execute Wrong-Door Raid and Allegedly Detain Them for 6 Hours
"I asked them to show me a warrant; they didn't show me nothing," a grandmother said.
A Missouri Cop Shot a Family's Dog and Threw Its Body in a Ditch
A 9-year-old lab mix wandered away from home during a storm. When a neighbor called the police to help find the dog's family, cops shot the pup instead.
Several Justices Express Dismay at Long Delays in Returning Seized Cars to Innocent Owners
Without a prompt post-seizure hearing, people can lose their property for months or years even when they ultimately get it back.
Tennessee to Pay $125,000 to Settle Lawsuit by Man Arrested for Posting Meme Mocking Dead Cop
Joshua Garton spent nearly two weeks in jail for "manufacturing and disseminating a harassing photograph on social media." A First Amendment lawsuit quickly followed.
Inside a 20-Year Effort To Clean Up the Oakland Police Department
The Riders Come Out at Night frames it as a hopeful sign that police reform is possible.
Mississippi Police Killed Her Son, Then Buried Him in a Pauper's Grave Without Telling Her
Even though Jackson, Mississippi, police knew they had killed 37-year-old Dexter Wade, they didn't inform his mother and allowed him to be buried in a penal farm.
California Attorney General Announces Settlement To Stop Civil Rights Abuses by Vallejo Police Department
A 2019 Reason investigation detailed a long string of police abuses in Vallejo. Things have only gotten worse since then.
Supreme Court Will Hear This Texas Woman's Challenge to a Politically Motivated Arrest
Sylvia Gonzalez, an anti-establishment politician, spent a day in jail for allegedly concealing a petition that she organized.
