The V.A. Bought 10,000 iPhones for Veterans. 8,544 of Them Were Never Used.
The department lost nearly $2.4 million on data plans for iPhones and iPads that sat in storage.
Accountability
For 20 Years, This Prosecutor Had a Secret Job Working For the Judges Who'd Decide His Cases
One of Ralph Petty's victims is trying to hold him accountable, but she will have to overcome prosecutorial immunity.
Two Cops Will Not Face Discipline For Pushing a 75-Year-Old to the Ground. You Can Thank the Police Union.
The ordeal highlights how collective bargaining in the public sphere has stacked almost every factor against alleged victims of police misconduct.
The Supreme Court Says You Can Sue Cops Who Frame You on False Charges
The previous standard barring such lawsuits made “little sense," wrote Justice Brett Kavanaugh for the majority.
Arizona House Committee Approves Bill To Criminalize Filming Cops on the Job
"You'll have a bunch of people who plead to avoid trial or go broke trying to vindicate their rights."
After Being Illegally Imprisoned for Almost a Year, Bobby Sneed Is Finally Free
Louisiana refused to release Sneed for months, despite a judge ruling several times that the state was breaking the law.
Amir Locke's Death Should Incense Anyone Who Cares About Gun Rights
The 22-year-old man was shot by a Minneapolis police officer during the execution of a no-knock warrant on which he was not named.
Americans Want Police Reform, Not Abolition. So Did This Slain NYPD Officer.
Despite a binary media narrative, the vast majority of the U.S. is in favor of quality, accountable policing.
Judge: Baton Rouge Violated the First Amendment by Trying To Imprison a Professor for Sharing Body Camera Footage
It was the city that put the footage in the public record in the first place.
The Year's Highlights in Blame Shifting
Politicians and cops found creative ways to dodge responsibility in 2021.
A SWAT Team Blew Up This Innocent Woman's House and Cost Her Over $50,000. The City Tried To Stop Her From Suing.
A federal court wasn't having it.
Denied Treatment for His Cancer, This Kentucky Man Died in Prison After Vomiting Blood
In a lawsuit, Marc Crawford's widow says the state refused to give him his prescriptions and his chemotherapy.
The Supreme Court Deals a Major Blow to Qualified Immunity Reform
In two opinions issued Monday, the Court gave qualified immunity to several police officers accused of violating the Constitution.
Judge: Police Can't Blame a Bystander for a Cop Killing Another Cop
It was unconstitutional to charge Jenna Holm with manslaughter. But the state wanted to protect its own.
A Louisiana Prosecutor Escapes Responsibility After Allegedly Covering Up Rape Allegations Against a Prison Official
No accountability for government corruption.
Top Cop Who Presided Over Deadly Corruption in Houston Loses His New Job in Miami 6 Months After He Was Hired
Art Acevedo provoked many complaints, but they paled in comparison to his prior record of negligence and obliviousness.
A Cop Killed an Innocent Man After a 'Swatting' Prank Call. The City Can't Be Sued.
"It gives cities a protection that ordinary citizens never have."
Victims of Rights-Violating California Cops May Finally Get Justice in Court
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed S.B. 2 into law, despite some objections from police unions.
Cops Get Qualified Immunity After Jailing Florida Man for 'I Eat Ass' Bumper Sticker
Dillon Shane Webb will thus not be able to sue for the alleged violation of his free speech rights.
The DHS Agent Who Tried To Kill Kevin Byrd Can't Be Sued—Because He Works for the Federal Government
It's almost impossible to hold federal officers to account.
Judges Who Violate Due Process Rights For Personal Gain Just Got a Major Pass From This Federal Court
Judge Paul Bonin profited from making defendants wear ankle monitors. The victims can't sue.
Police Shot a Man Driving Away, Can't Keep Their Stories Straight, Get Qualified Immunity Anyway
A federal court admitted the officers violated the man's rights. It doesn't matter.
Police Broke This 73-Year-Old Woman's Arm During a Brutal Arrest. The City Will Pay Her $3 Million.
Whether or not this constitutes meaningful accountability is up for debate.
Here's a Rarity: A Former Prosecutor Is Facing Criminal Charges for Violating Her Oath of Office
Former District Attorney Jackie Johnson may face accountability for her official actions in the Ahmaud Arbery investigation.
If You Care About Police Accountability on January 6, You Should Care About It Every Day
Supporting the cause because your "side" went down is not a principled position.
Police Reform Without Qualified Immunity Reform Is Worthless
Lawmakers have reportedly taken any changes to qualified immunity off the table.
This Innocent Man Spent 23 Years Behind Bars. He's Suing the Police Who Put Him There.
Ricky Kidd wants accountability.
A Federal Cop Devised a Bogus Sex Trafficking Ring and Jailed This Teen for 2 Years. The Cop Can't Be Sued.
The most powerful officers are held to the lowest standard of accountability.
More Than 53,000 American Companies Sought Exemptions From Trump's China Tariffs. Almost All Were Denied.
New GAO report says the process for determining which companies could avoid paying those tariffs was rife with "inconsistencies" and poorly documented decision-making.
A Qualified Immunity Compromise Is Crumbling. You Can Thank the Law Enforcement Lobby.
Police unions so often protect their own—at the expense of the public.
He Died After He Was Shot in the Back by a Cop. Will Anyone Be Held Accountable?
Salaythis Melvin's family says they want justice.
This Cop Conducted 3 Warrantless Searches in Under 3 Years. He Gets To Keep His Job.
Once again, it shows just how hard it is to hold bad officers accountable.
Bill Barr Gets Away With Busting Heads in Lafayette Square Because He's a Fed
"In lower courts' view, [a] federal badge now equals absolute immunity."
Can Republicans Be Persuaded To Restrict Qualified Immunity?
Polling shows a sharp partisan divide on the issue, but it also suggests that compromise might be possible.
Baton Rouge Cops Strip-Searched a Minor During a Traffic Stop and Entered a Family's Home Without a Warrant. The City Just Settled for $35,000.
The case is an indictment on just how hard it is to get accountability when the government violates your rights.
Does This Elderly Veteran Have Any Recourse Against the Federal Cops Who Brutally Assaulted Him?
SCOTUS will soon decide whether to hear José Oliva’s argument that he should be allowed to sue V.A. officers for violating his Fourth Amendment rights.
It's Too Bad We Can't Fire More Governors
Citizens should be able to punish elected officials who have done an extraordinarily bad job rather than be forced to count on elected legislators to do the heavy lifting.
Release Body Cam Footage
With the right freedom of information and use policies, wearable cameras could still be a powerful weapon to increase transparency.
Bust the Police Unions
They're a consistent force of organized resistance to calmer, safer, less aggressive policing.
Abolish Qualified Immunity
This court-invented doctrine shields bad cops from civil liability.
Trump Administration Says Identities of Coronavirus Stimulus Loan Recipients Are 'Confidential'
Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin says that information is confidential. Government watchdogs say that excuse is bogus.
Houston Police Chief's Record Belies His Reformist Rhetoric After George Floyd's Death
If Art Acevedo had any shame, he would be engaging in less grandstanding and more introspection.
5 Ways to Curtail Police Violence and Prevent More Deaths Like George Floyd's
From tighter use-of-force rules to eliminating qualified immunity, here are some reforms that could make a real difference.
The U.S. Postal Service 'Unsustainable,' Says GAO. And That Was Before COVID-19 Hit.
The USPS has lost $78 billion since 2007, but could lose as much as $13 billion this year as the pandemic has crushed mail volume.
One Year After It Passed, California's Police Accountability Law Is Working
In requiring greater transparency in police record-keeping, California proves it can do at least one thing right.
Detroit Cops Charged With Home Invasion Thanks to Body Cam Footage
This is how the system is supposed to work.
Government Watchdog Says Pruitt's $43,000 Phone Booth Broke the Law
Pruitt's recurring waste of taxpayer money undermines his laudable regulatory reforms.
