What I Learned From Making Dozens of Public Records Requests for Police Data
To tailor an effective request, first consult the database's user manual. Here are 21 examples that might help.
Sarah Ryley
Most Shooters Go Free in Chicago’s Most Violent Neighborhoods — While Police Make Non-Stop Drug Arrests
An analysis of city data finds disparities in how the police pursue criminal offenses between white and non-white neighborhoods. “They’ll get a person for marijuana before they’ll get a person for murder.”
We Obtained Data on 4.3 Million Crimes. Now It’s Yours to Use.
We're making the data available to journalists, researchers, policymakers, and everyone else interested in examining gun violence.
Prosecutor to Retry Murder Case Examined by The Trace/BuzzFeed News
Devon Little is currently serving a life sentence for a murder he says he didn't commit.
Q&A: What Will It Take to Solve More Shootings?
Professor David Kennedy on the link between effective investigations and community trust.
Murder Conviction of Man in Trace/BuzzFeed News Investigation Overturned
Devon Little’s case was the subject of an investigation into how police departments fail to solve shooting cases, leaving perpetrators free to strike again.
After Trace/BuzzFeed News Investigation, Baltimore Officials Tell Police to Turn Up the Heat on Shooters
Baltimore leaders are pressing the Police Department to direct more resources toward solving…
5 Things to Know About Cities’ Failure to Arrest Shooters
The likelihood that police will solve homicides and assaults has plummeted — particularly when the culprit uses a gun, and particularly when the victims are black or Hispanic.
Shoot Someone In a Major U.S. City, and Odds Are You’ll Get Away With It
A shocking number of shootings go unsolved. In some police departments, hundreds of cases aren't investigated at all.