The Police Accountability Report: Recent Episodes
The Real News Network
PAR is a weekly show that seeks to hold one of the most powerful institutions in this country accountable, policing. To do so we will take a critical look at all facets of American policing, exploring both the systemic and political imperatives that often puts law enforcement at odds with the communities they purport to serve.
The Holguin family’s troubles with the El Paso Police Department began in 2022, when Adzari Holguin, then a high school senior, was asked by relative to film the police while they responded to a call about a domestic dispute. After police became aggressive once they noticed Adzari was recording, her father, Eddie Holguin, stepped in to escort his daughter home. That’s when police staged an illegal raid on the Holguin residence and arrested Eddie and Adzari. After the raid, the Holguins filed a lawsuit to demand justice. Now, they say the El Paso police are deliberately targeting their family. Police Accountability Report examines the evidence, and what this case tells us about cops in America today, who in many places not only operate with virtual legal impunity, but also conduct themselves more like a mafia than like law enforcement.
Read the transcript of this episode here.
Studio Production: Stephen Janis, Taya Graham
Post-Production: Stephen Janis, Cameron Granadino
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Two years ago, Michigan-based cannabis entrepreneur Coty Cecil’s camper van broke down in Milton, West Virginia. As he was awaiting repairs, Cecil was confronted by Milton police at his door. Despite appearing without a warrant, police demanded entry into the camper van. During the subsequent raid, police smashed Cecil’s window and confiscated eight hemp plants. Cecil now faces a 10-year sentence. Meanwhile, Cabell County, which Milton is located in has a development deal with the billion-dollar cannabis company Trulieve, which is expected to build a grow facility in the planned HADCO Business Park, an economic initiative being funded by millions in local taxpayer money. Trulieve was quietly benefitting from tax payer funded subsidies while Cody was sitting in jail. Thanks to previous reporting from Police Accountability Report and the support of viewers, Cecil was able to get his bail reduced and return home. Cecil now returns again to Police Accountability Report to discuss his fight against the 10-year prison sentence looming over him. Police Accountability Report has previously investigated use of public funds in Milton.
Read the transcript of this episode here.
Studio Production: Taya Graham, Stephen Janis
Post-Production: Stephen Janis, Cameron Granadino
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Jose Palomares, an off-duty cop, was moonlighting as a security guard at a homeless services center in Ft. Worth when a dispute arose over $20. Officer Palomares chose to intervene—immediately accusing the man who believed he'd had $20 stolen from him, of being a drug dealer. After calling in the drug dogs and conducting an illegal search, Palomares failed to find sufficient drugs to justify his accusation. Instead of letting the man go, Palomares then decided to pressure his arrestee into becoming an informant. Police Accountability Report discusses the shocking footage and what it tells us about the ways police wield their power against the poor.
Production: Taya Graham, Stephen Janis
Post-Production: Stephen Janis, Cameron Granadino
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The weather outside is frightful, and so is the behavior of police departments around the country! In a special holiday-themed livestream aired on Dec. 14, Police Accountability Report looks at a series of police abuse incidents around the country. From a Washington state trooper's car crash to a botched raid in Kentucky, Stephen and Taya report live on the latest incidents of cops behaving badly and what it tells us about policing in the US today.
Production: Stephen Janis, Taya Graham
Studio Production: David Hebden, Cameron Granadino
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Read the transcript of this podcast: https://therealnews.com/oklahoma-cop-grabs-indigenous-grandmother-for-not-walking-on-a-sidewalk
Police brutality and racial profiling are not uncommon in the city of Shawnee, Oklahoma—a place where multiple Indigenous nations were forcibly relocated to during the 19th century. Shawnee today has a high population of Indigenous and Latine residents, and one woman, Jeanine R., recently caught the outrageous behavior of local police on video in an encounter she had with them while walking along the road with her grandson. Despite no sidewalk being available, Shawnee cop Anthony Starkey threatened Mrs. Jeanine with arrest and assault for failing to walk on a sidewalk, and for not having her ID on her. This sort of aggressive behavior from law enforcement towards Indigenous and Latine people such as herself is not uncommon, Mrs. Jeanine asserts. Police Accountability Report investigates.
Studio: Stephen Janis
Post-Production: Stephen Janis, Adam Coley
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A recent article in The Washington Post highlighting the growth of cop watcher YouTube channels provided a rare mainstream spotlight on a movement that's developed entirely outside of elite institutions. But for all The Washington Post got right, a lot was missed as well. Police Accountability Report sits down with popular YouTube cop watchers The Battousai and James Freeman to discuss the state of cop watching today and how the police are trying to make the practice illegal.
James Freeman's YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/@JamesFreeman1 @JamesFreeman1
The Battousai's YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/@TheBattousaiMedia @TheBattousaiMedia
Studio Production: David Hebden, Adam Coley, Cameron Granadino
Production: Stephen Janis, Taya Graham
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Read the transcript of this podcast: https://therealnews.com/la-county-sheriffs-keep-pulling-people-over-for-bogus-reasons-this-time-they-got-caught
A Los Angeles County Sheriff's traffic stop, allegedly conducted for excessive window tinting, led to a fishing expedition that stranded an innocent passenger at night without her phone, wallet, keys or transportation. But cop watchers @laurasharkcw @tomzebra and @jodiekatmedia appeared on the scene to hold LASD accountable and to assist the stranded passenger. This week on the Police Accountability Report, hosts Taya Graham and Stephen Janis speak with Tom and Laura about the encounter and discuss what this case reveals about the phenomenon of over policing and the incentive structure behind the questionable allocation of police time and resources.
Production: Stephen Janis, Taya Graham
Post-Production: Stephen Janis, Adam Coley
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Chalk artist Joshua Hinson was finishing up a community art project in Leon Valley, Texas when local cops confronted him over his art, which they incorrectly described as "graffiti." Hinson's arrest, which was captured on video, has raised questions about the protection of art under the First Amendment, and the overreach and abuse of power exercised by police in regulating public space. The charges against Hinson were ultimately dropped, but the problems his case raises about the police as an institution remain. Police Accountability Report investigates.
Production: Stephen Janis, Taya Graham
Post-Production: Stephen Janis, Cameron Granadino
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Arkansas resident Shawn Chaperone was cut off by a reckless driver and was shocked that police chose to pull him over. However, it was the local police department's turn to be surprised when they discovered how well Shawn knew his rights and local ordinances! Join us for this episode of the Police Accountability Report, which illustrates the importance of knowing your rights and the dangers of arbitrary police power.
Production: Stephen Janis, Taya Graham
Post-Production: Stephen Janis, Adam Coley
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David Michaud had just checked into a motel in Hot Springs, MT when he was approached by local police and ordered to present identification. After Michaud demanded to know why he was being questioned, a contentious exchange ensued that ended with police tasering Michaud multiple times. Michaud, who is Chamorro, was asked by officers whether he was "tribal" before being tasered and arrested. Police gave multiple and conflicting reasons for Michaud's treatment, from an alleged busted tail light to failing to present ID. Once they had Michaud detained, local authorities pressed DUI charges against him. Police Accountability Report investigates this case of police abuse of power and violence in small town Montana, speaking directly to David Michaud about his ordeal.
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Read the transcript of this podcast: https://therealnews.com/us-marshals-swat-bully-alzheimers-patient-into-warrantless-search
Lance Thornton was sitting at his home in Erie, Pennsylvania, on the morning of March 12, 2023, when US Marshals, Pennsylvania State Police, and a SWAT team appeared at his door demanding to be let in. The officers were responding to the recent shooting of two state troopers—but they had the wrong man, and moreover, didn't even have a warrant. Despite Thornton having early-onset dementia and therefore being legally unable to consent to a search, the officers raided his home anyway. Police Accountability Report delves into the case, investigating the flimsy pretext for the raid and why a judge refused to sign off on the warrant.
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Click here to read the transcript: https://therealnews.com/atlantas-cop-city-is-a-blueprint-for-americas-future
We went on the ground in Atlanta, GA to find the truth behind the Cop City protests, the police shooting death of Manuel "Tortuguita" Tehran and the dark money funding the creation of the Atlanta Public Safety Center. We will also have special guests joining us like cop watcher, auditor and champion of transparency @lackluster and cop watcher and reform advocate Chris Reiter of the @forpublicsafety channel to better understand how to demand transparency and accountability of our local police departments.
Studio: David Hebden, Cameron Granadino
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Read the transcript of this podcast: https://therealnews.com/weymouth-police-demanded-to-see-his-id-his-refusal-led-to-assault-charges
Across the US, people who attempt to resist the seemingly limitless power of the police often find themselves ensnared in a legal system that ostensibly exists for their protection. When a local police officer approached Paul Brophy of Weymouth, Massachusetts, and demanded to see his identification, Brophy attempted to invoke his constitutional rights. The officer then escalated the situation to an arrest, claiming Brophy attempted to reach for his weapon. Police Accountability Report examines the facts of the case, speaking to Paul Brophy himself about the incident.
Studio: Stephen Janis
Post-Production: Stephen Janis, Adam Coley
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Read the transcript of this podcast: https://therealnews.com/cops-illegally-raided-his-house-this-is-what-happened-when-he-fought-back
On Sept. 30, 2020, a SWAT team burst into the Henderson County, Indiana, home of Chris Reiter under a falsely obtained warrant. Reiter's girlfriend, Tiffany Napier, was severely injured as police ransacked the house, ultimately finding nothing before departing without acknowledging any wrongdoing on their part. Reiter has since filed a lawsuit alleging violations of his constitutional rights, and dedicated himself to helping others hold police accountable. Reiter's efforts recently led to another arrest when he attempted to help the father of a victim of abuse by Clarksville police. Chris Reiter and Tiffany join Police Accountability Report to discuss their efforts to seek justice.
Studio: Stephen Janis
Post-Production: Stephen Janis, Cameron Granadino
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Texas cop watcher Manuel Mata has been jailed again after he confronted a Ft. Worth officer on sidewalk while he was making arrest. The charges of interfering with public duties Mata is facing raise serious questions about the right to film police, and if law enforcement is ratcheting up the pressure on 1st amendment activists.
Read the transcript of this podcast: https://therealnews.com/cops-discovered-he-was-filing-a-complaint-against-them-then-they-struck-back
A Georgia man who tried to file a complaint against law enforcement in Bullock, GA, but found himself in handcuffs instead.
Studio: Stephen Janis
Post-Production: Stephen Janis, Adam Coley
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Read the transcript of this podcast: https://therealnews.com/a-cop-watcher-attended-the-trial-of-a-corrupt-officer-the-judge-made-him-pay-for-it
The trial of Ft. Worth police officer Aaron Dean for the killing of Atatiana Jefferson ended in a conviction for manslaughter and 12-year sentence. But in this episode, PAR investigates how the judge retaliated against supporters of Jefferson’s family who attended the trial, throwing one cop watcher in jail for refusing to be sworn in as a witness.
Studio: Stephen Janis
Studio/Post-Production: Stephen Janis, Adam Coley
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Read the transcript of this podcast: https://therealnews.com/his-wrongful-arrest-was-caught-on-camera-now-the-cops-wont-leave-him-alone
Daniel Alvarez first appeared on the Police Accountability Report in June, 2021 after an LA sheriff put him in handcuffs for stopping at a stop sign. Since then, Alvarez has documented numerous instances of LASD officers continuing to target and harass him. Alvarez has been arrested eight times since his first encounter with LASD—always on charges that have later been dismissed due to lack of evidence. Officers have used everything from broken taillights to false DUI allegations as a pretext for continuing their harassment campaign against Alvarez. Daniel Alvarez returns to the Police Accountability Report to share how LASD officers have tormented him in the past years.
Studio: Stephen Janis
Post-Production: Stephen Janis, Adam Coley
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Editor's note: This video was recorded prior to Ray Liotta's passing.
Police Accountability Report show hosts Taya Graham and Stephen Janis kick off the holidays with a spoilers-free review of the exceptional film Cop Land. Taya and Stephen take a tour behind the scenes of police culture and explore how difficult it really is for individual officers to hold other police accountable for their crimes. Decades later, Cop Land remains one of the most revealing and honest movies about the current state of policing in America. As copaganda only becomes more pervasive, this blast from the past is a breath of fresh air that offers a more realistic look at the commonplace corruption and impunity rife in police departments around the country.
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Read the transcript of this podcast: https://therealnews.com/body-cam-shows-baltimore-county-police-arresting-citizen-watchdog-at-gunpoint
An unnamed motorist was stopped by Baltimore County police, held at gunpoint, and manhandled by multiple officers before being arrested. Body cam footage reveals the motorist, who has requested anonymity, requesting multiple times to speak with a supervisor and know the crime he was being arrested for to no avail. Police claim the 60-year-old motorist was doing donuts in his car in a local parking lot. TRNN reporter Stephen Janis was unable to find any sign of skid marks at the scene, and further deduced that the area was likely too narrow for such activity. The police statement further reveals that the motorist was known to local police as a citizen watchdog, raising the question of whether this arrest was a form of political retaliation. Police Accountability Report reviews the available footage and the details of the case, as well as what this man’s ordeal can tell us about the police war against our civil rights.
Studio: Stephen Janis
Post-Production: Stephen Janis, Adam Coley
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Taya Graham and Stephen Janis of the Police Accountability Report host a live discussion on the rapid growth of police budgets and aggressive tactics. Are cops the ones preventing crimes, or actually causing them?
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In May 2006, Rey Rivera disappeared from his North Baltimore home. Roughly a week later, his body was found in the second floor concourse of Baltimore's historic Belvedere hotel. The 2020 Netflix reboot of Unsolved Mysteries brought international attention to Rivera's mysterious death. The Real News journalists Taya Graham and Stephen Janis have previously covered Rivera's death, asking why his injuries were more consistent with being stuck by a car instead of falling from a rooftop, as the discovery of his body suggested, Taya and Stephen return with Jayne Miller to break down the latest evidence in Rey Rivera's death.
Post-Production: Stephen Janis
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Read the transcript of this podcast: https://therealnews.com/trenton-nj-police-pull-man-from-car-break-his-nose-and-search-his-vehicle-for-aggressive-behavior-body-cameras-tell-a-different-story
Michael Q. Banks was in his car one evening when a specialized crime unit of Trenton police suddenly pulled him from his vehicle and slammed him on the pavement, breaking his nose. When PAR traveled to Trenton to investigate further, what we found was an example of why law enforcement across the country continues to struggle with mistrust among local communities.
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Read the transcript of this podcast: https://therealnews.com/cops-tried-to-confiscate-his-phone-without-a-warrant-things-turned-ugly-when-he-refused
Dramatic video shows a Texas police officer brutally beating a man who refused to turn over his phone to police. The victim was not suspected of a crime and was voluntarily cooperating with police. Nevertheless, the police turned on him. The attack raises even more questions about the tactics of rural law enforcement and the failure of the police to police themselves.
Post-Production: Stephen Janis, Adam Coley
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Read the transcript of this podcast: https://therealnews.com/how-to-make-sure-you-go-home-and-not-to-jail-a-civil-rights-attorney-shares-the-ugly-truth
The small town of Loveland, Colorado, has found itself in the national spotlight due to the wanton brutality and corruption of its police department. In June 2020, Loveland police violently arrested Karen Garner, a 73-year-old woman with dementia. Garner suffered a broken arm and dislocated shoulder. Later, footage revealed Loveland officers laughing as they reviewed the video of Garner's arrest. This spring, another victim of the Loveland Police Department, Harris Elias, filed a lawsuit alleging he had been unlawfully arrested on DUI charges despite being "completely sober." These and other cases demonstrate a pattern of disturbing practices within the department that incentivize brutality and lawbreaking, including a monthly quota of DUI arrests that officers try to meet by any means necessary. In this special podcast edition of the Police Accountability Report, civil rights attorney Sarah Schielke joins Taya Graham to explore just how deep the corruption goes in Loveland and to discuss the ongoing fight to hold Loveland police accountable.
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The story of one Minnesota couple's ongoing problems with police provides a pointed example of the systematic overpolicing of rural communities across the country. In this episode of the Police Accountability Report, hosts Taya Graham and Stephen Janis describe the couple's most recent encounter with cops, then they provide updates on a number of previous investigations into police overreach that they are committed to following.
Read the transcript of this episode: https://therealnews.com/a-cop-pulled-them-over-for-a-minor-infraction-then-the-encounter-took-a-bizarre-turn
Pre-Production/Studio: Stephen Janis
Post-Production: Adam Coley
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Qualified immunity is a legal precedent that has allowed cops to evade accountability for violating civil rights for decades. But recent arguments in front of the federal circuit appeals court by two cop watchers could bring that precedent to an end. The Police Accountability Report examines how the actions taken by police in Lakeland, Colorado, to prevent First Amendment activists Liberty Freak and Eric Brandt from filming a seemingly routine traffic stop could could lead to a legal showdown that might make it easier to hold police accountable.
Read the transcript of this podcast: https://therealnews.com/cops-stopped-him-from-filming-a-traffic-stop-but-changed-their-tune-when-they-went-to-court
Pre-Production/Studio: Stephen Janis
Post-Production: Adam Coley
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The arrest of a Texas cop watcher for filming in public is the most recent chilling example of how law enforcement across the country is attempting to roll back auditors' First Amendment rights. Jack Miller, also known as Texas Sheepdog, was filming outside the Olmos Park, Texas, City Hall when police arrested and charged him with multiple crimes. The ensuing five-day trial and jury verdict reveal that citizens' ability to film in public is facing new obstacles and concerted pushback from the government.
Read the transcript of this podcast: https://therealnews.com/cops-arrested-him-for-filming-in-public-but-things-took-a-bizarre-turn-when-the-case-went-to-court
Pre-Production/Studio: Stephen Janis
Post-Production: Adam Coley
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When a Minnesota couple called the police to intervene in a dispute with a neighbor they said was harassing them, they didn’t expect that they would be the ones to get raided and arrested. That’s precisely what happened, however, and the ordeal has left them questioning the motives of law enforcement in rural Minnesota; moreover, it has raised questions about how police in rural areas employ tactics that are not just difficult to explain, but often just as aggressive and dangerous as their urban counterparts. PAR breaks down the sequence of events that prompted police in this small rural town to conduct a swat-style raid on the people who called them for help.
Read the transcript of this podcast: https://therealnews.com/he-called-cops-for-help-they-broke-down-his-door-and-arrested-him-instead
Pre-Production/Studio: Stephen Janis
Post-Production: Stephen Janis, Adam Coley
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In this special investigative livestream, Police Accountability Report hosts Stephen Janis and Taya Graham discuss some of their findings from their ongoing investigation into the town of Milton, West Virginia.
Milton first came to our attention with the arrest of Cody Cecil, a Michigan man whose trailer was raided by Milton police while parked in a private campground. But a series of successive investigative reports have produced mounting evidence of overzealous ticket writing and exorbitant court fees that raised even more questions about the town. In this special livestream episode, Graham and Janis report on some of their latest findings about the city, its police department, and a questionable deal to build a luxury hotel with the help of taxpayers.
Read the transcript of this podcast: https://therealnews.com/police-accountability-report-how-a-small-town-police-department-in-wv-is-fleecing-its-citizens
Pre-Production/Studio: Cameron Granadino, Adam Coley
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The continued arrests of a group of Texas cop watchers is raising serious questions about how the law is applied to citizen journalists. In this episode of the Police Accountability Report, hosts Taya Graham and Stephen Janis investigate two recent arrests of Corners News, whom police charged after he tried to film a series of accident scenes. We discuss the applicable laws and rising legal threats against YouTube activists, examining the implications of the push by Texas police to charge people exercising their First Amendment rights.
Read the transcript of this podcast: https://therealnews.com/cops-arrested-him-for-filming-an-accident-scene-but-did-the-police-break-the-law
Pre-Production/Studio: Stephen Janis
Post-Production: Stephen Janis, Adam Coley
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The debate over defunding police has become part of a broad ideological battle over how and when law enforcement should face public accountability. Police Accountability Report hosts Taya Graham and Stephen Janis examine this debate in the context of their own reporting on police overreach and abuse. The pair breaks down the flaws in the anti-defund argument by revealing how law enforcement partisans have successfully avoided substantive oversight and public accountability.
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Pre-Production/Studio/Post-Production: Stephen Janis
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When a Terre Haute, Indiana, man was arrested for not walking on a sidewalk on a street that doesn’t have one, the Police Accountability Report investigated. We obtained body camera and dashcam video evidence that offers a rare glimpse into the indifference of American law enforcement—evidence that not only contradicts the allegations made by the arresting officer, but that also reveals how difficult it is to escape the tendrils of this country’s law enforcement-industrial complex.
Read the transcript of this panel: https://therealnews.com/cop-arrested-a-man-for-not-walking-on-a-sidewalk-but-he-didnt-know-anyone-would-see-this-video
Pre-Production/Studio: Stephen Janis
Post-Production: Stephen Janis, Adam Coley
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Another questionable arrest in a small town is raising more concerns about the state of policing in rural America. A man was repeatedly struck by police in Paducah, Texas, during an encounter that was caught on video and shared with PAR. We examine the arrest and discuss how it demonstrates the unchecked power of law enforcement in rural communities to inflict suffering on the people they're ostensibly serving and to extract a disproportionate share of public resources.
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Prosecutors caught a Baltimore cop making an illegal arrest on body cam, prompting a lengthy investigation. Their findings lead to a major indictment, so will the police department release the rest of the evidence?
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Are Texas police laying the groundwork to thwart cop watchers by sending them to jail for simply using cellphone cameras to film them? This is the serious question raised by a series of charges that accuse a group of Texas cop watchers of engaging in organized crime. In this episode of the Police Accountability Report, hosts Taya Graham and Stephen Janis investigate the basis for the accusations and possible consequences for the First Amendment, YouTube activism, and the future of citizen auditing, and speak to one of the men facing decades in jail for filming police to understand just how far police will go to evade accountability.
Read the transcript of this episode: https://therealnews.com/cops-want-to-turn-cop-watching-into-organized-crime-but-can-they-get-away-with-it
Pre-Production: Stephen Janis
Studio/Post-Production: Stephen Janis, Dwayne Gladden
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A series of explosive investigative reports has revealed a crisis of police abuse in rural America. This week, Police Accountability Report hosts Taya Graham and Stephen Janis held a live discussion about police overreach and the consequences faced by rural communities across the country, and took questions from viewers about what their investigations have uncovered.
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Eric Lurry's death was a mystery to his family until a police whistleblower leaked damning evidence implicating the Joliet, Illinois, police department. Now Sgt. Javier Esqueda, who came forward with the video evidence, is facing a possible 20-year prison sentence for exposing his fellow police officers. In this episode of the Police Accountability Report, we examine the mechanics of a police coverup and the ramifications of holding police accountable, and ask Sgt. Esqueda what he witnessed that made him risk his career and his freedom by becoming a whistleblower.
Read the transcript of this podcast: https://therealnews.com/cops-wanted-to-keep-this-disturbing-video-a-secret-now-theyre-going-after-the-person-who-leaked-it
Pre-Production/Studio: Stephen Janis
Post-Production: Stephen Janis, Dwayne Gladden
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When a small town police department came under fire for a series of questionable arrests, PAR dug deeper into the finances of Milton, West Virginia. What we uncovered reveals how economic inequality fuels bad policing, and how prioritization of law enforcement over other communal needs is often at the root of bad public policy.
Read the transcript of this podcast: https://therealnews.com/cops-in-this-town-keep-making-ridiculous-arrests-what-are-they-trying-to-cover-up
Pre-Production: Stephen Janis
Studio/Post-Production: Stephen Janis, Dwayne Gladden
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A small-town police department in Milton, West Virginia, is facing more scrutiny after another troubling video surfaced of a questionable arrest. The newly obtained video contradicts the sworn statement of a Milton police officer who said the man who was arrested resisted arrest and tried to escape. PAR investigates the case and delves deeper into the finances of the town, which has nearly doubled its collections of court fines and fees over the past decade.
Read the transcript of this podcast: https://therealnews.com/west-virginia-cop-charged-a-man-with-multiple-crimes-but-the-video-tells-a-different-story
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Coty Cecil was awaiting repairs on his RV in a West Virginia campground when Milton police started breaking into his home, refusing to show a warrant. Cecil was eventually charged with possession with intent to distribute and transporting drugs over state lines, even though the half-dozen pot plants found in his RV were grown in his home state of Michigan—where they are legal. While looking into the dubious circumstances of Cecil’s arrest, PAR investigated the finances of the small rural community and uncovered some intriguing details about the role policing plays as a revenue engine for the town.
Read the transcript of this podcast: https://therealnews.com/cops-broke-into-his-home-without-showing-a-warrant-but-what-happened-next-is-even-worse
Pre-Production/Studio: Stephen Janis
Post Production: Stephen Janis, Dwayne Gladden
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A recent HBO documentary entitled The Slow Hustle has brought renewed attention to the mysterious death of Baltimore homicide detective Sean Suiter in 2017. Police initially claimed Suiter was the victim of a lone assailant after his body was found in a West Baltimore alley with a gunshot wound to the head. But as details began to emerge regarding Suiter's involvement with some of Baltimore's most corrupt cops, the case took a turn that raised serious questions about what actually happened and if his death was part of a broader cover-up.
Shortly after Suiter died, Police Accountability Report hosts Taya Graham and Stephen Janis produced a podcast series that looked behind the scenes and examined how Suiter's death told a more complex story about police corruption in Baltimore. In Part III of this podcast series, Graham and Janis explore the bombshell revelation that Suiter’s mysterious death occurred one day before he was supposed to testify in a major corruption investigation regarding the Baltimore Police Department’s infamous Gun Trace Task Force.
Read the transcript of this podcast: https://therealnews.com/police-say-homicide-detective-sean-suiter-committed-suicide-so-why-doesnt-anyone-believe-them
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The efforts of cop watchers and First Amendment auditors to record police continues to be a controversial subject. Some use aggressive tactics that critics say go too far, others argue the country's law-enforcement-industrial complex needs to be aggressively challenged to yield results. PAR examines the contours of this debate through the case of Denver cop watcher DJ Kdot the party. Dj Kdot was arrested by police in Aurora, Colorado, for allegedly interfering with an investigation while filming a traffic stop. What happened when the case went to trial reveals much about the state of cop watching today, the extent of our First Amendment protections, and the expansive reach of the US criminal justice system.
Read the transcript of this interview: https://therealnews.com/cops-arrested-him-for-filming-a-traffic-stop-then-the-case-went-to-court
Pre-Production/Studio: Stephen Janis
Post-Production: Stephen Janis, Dwayne Gladden
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Aaron Reinas was just blocks from his home when a San Bernardino, California, sheriff accosted and accused him of burglarizing cars. What happened next reveals the dangers of unchecked police power and the dire consequences individual citizens can face for standing up for their rights. PAR investigates Reinas's questionable arrest and why police often ignore the law in pursuit of phantom crimes.
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A recent HBO documentary entitled The Slow Hustle has brought renewed attention to the mysterious death of Baltimore homicide detective Sean Suiter in 2017. Police initially claimed Suiter was the victim of a lone assailant after his body was found in a West Baltimore alley with a gunshot wound to the head. But as details began to emerge regarding Suiter's involvement with some of Baltimore's most corrupt cops, the case took a turn that raised serious questions about what actually happened and if his death was part of a broader cover-up.
Shortly after Suiter died, Police Accountability Report hosts Taya Graham and Stephen Janis produced a podcast series that looked behind the scenes and examined how Suiter's death told a more complex story about police corruption in Baltimore. In Part 2 of this podcast series, Graham and Janis take a closer look at the Baltimore Police Department’s own investigation into Suiter’s death and explain why the facts don’t add up.
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A recent HBO documentary entitled The Slow Hustle has brought renewed attention to the mysterious death of Baltimore homicide detective Sean Suiter in 2017. Police initially claimed Suiter was the victim of a lone assailant after his body was found in a West Baltimore alley with a gunshot wound to the head. But as details began to emerge regarding Suiter's involvement with some of Baltimore's most corrupt cops, the case took a turn that raised serious questions about what actually happened and if his death was part of a broader cover-up.
Shortly after Suiter died, Police Accountability Report hosts Taya Graham and Stephen Janis produced a podcast series that looked behind the scenes and examined how Suiter's death told a more complex story about police corruption in Baltimore. In Part 1 of this podcast series, Graham and Janis examine the initial discovery of Suiter’s body, the police-led manhunt that ensued, and the moment when the official explanation of Suiter’s death began to unravel.
Read the transcript of this podcast: https://therealnews.com/the-mysterious-death-of-detective-sean-suiter-how-deep-does-the-corruption-go
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Nearly 20 years ago, Mark Neocleous published a seminal book entitled A Critical Theory of Police Power: The Fabrication of the Social Order, which examines how law enforcement and capitalism work in tandem to control the working class and enforce a brutal social and economic order. In this conversation for the Police Accountability Report podcast, PAR host Stephen Janis speaks with Neocleous about his book, the potential it has to transform the debate over the future of law enforcement, and how our unchecked policing system amounts to a radical form of state power that is both unnecessary and antithetical to democracy. Mark Neocleous is Professor of the Critique of Political Economy at Brunel University London and the author of numerous books, including War Power, Police Power and The Universal Adversary: Security, Capital and 'The Enemies of All Mankind'.
Read the transcript of this podcast: https://therealnews.com/this-groundbreaking-book-could-change-the-debate-over-defunding-law-enforcement
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This week, PAR continues its coverage of the overt abuses of police power by examining new data that shows just how dangerous—and even deadly—systematic over-policing can be. PAR hosts Taya Graham and Stephen Janis break down several cases that show how police use pretextual car stops to expand their power, challenge the constitutional rights of citizens, and expand the reach of the country’s law-enforcement-industrial complex.
Post Production: Adam Coley
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Did prosecutors silence a progressive activist under the guise of enforcing an obscure law? That’s the issue PAR explores as we look at the case of a pot legalization activist who was charged with two felonies for livestreaming an encounter with a conservative congressman’s aide during a protest.
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The mysterious death of Baltimore filmmaker Rey Rivera continues to prompt more questions than answers. Did Rivera really jump off the roof of Baltimore's Belvedere Hotel, or was he the victim of foul play? Why did the investigation into Rivera’s death come to such a sudden close? And why won’t police reopen the case as a potential homicide? Throughout this special investigation series, TRNN reporters Taya Graham and Stephen Janis have examined one of Baltimore’s most notorious and mysterious cases and detailed the glaring issues with the official police report that deemed Rivera’s death a suicide. In the third and final installment of this series, Graham and Janis discuss a new analysis of Rivera’s injuries by a medical illustrator, which points to an entirely different explanation of why and how a 32-year-old man with a lot to live for ended up dead in an abandoned hotel conference room.
This podcast was originally published on Dec. 27, 2020.
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The arrest and incarceration of New Mexico resident Chris Dixon provide yet another stark example of the Kafkaesque nature of contemporary police power. Dixon was arrested after police tired to force him to consent to an illegal search of the business where he worked. But the actions of the officer, coupled with the fallout Dixon faced, show that American law enforcement deliberately wields its arbitrary and heavy-handed power to sow chaos and erode the rights of the people.
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The mysterious death of Rey Rivera has continued to stoke speculation and controversy, especially after the case received national attention from a Netlfix reboot of Unsolved Mysteries in July, 2020. In Part I of their three-part investigation, TRNN reporters Taya Graham and Stephen Janis reviewed the unsettling circumstances surrounding Rivera's death and the ensuing police investigation. In Part II, Graham and Janis take a closer look at the homicide case files, which were recently released by the Baltimore police and shed light on new clues and glaring questions about a case that remains unsolved to this day.
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The mysterious death of Rey Rivera made national headlines when the case was investigated on the Netflix reboot of Unsolved Mysteries, which became the number one show on the popular streaming platform. Many viewers who have learned about the case are skeptical of the police theory that the young filmmaker jumped to his death from the roof of the Belvedere Hotel in Baltimore's Mt. Vernon neighborhood. In Part 1 of this three-part podcast series, TRNN investigative reporters Taya Graham and Stephen Janis re-open the unsettling case that has captivated audiences and amateur detectives alike, exploring new evidence that points to a more sinister theory of how Rey Rivera died.
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A questionable traffic stop by an Arizona highway patrol officer reveals how the powers bestowed upon police are ripe for abuse. Video shows how the officer escalated the encounter after he was challenged by a motorist to justify his actions. PAR breaks down how the misuse of police power during a single car stop reflects a broader anti-democratic imperative that drives American policing.
Content warning: Some images and details in this episode are graphic and disturbing.
This week on PAR, we continue our ongoing investigation into the problem of rural overpolicing and provide a critical update on the killing of Tyler Rushing, which we reported on earlier in the year. Rushing’s case is yet another stark example of cops ignoring the needs of a civilian experiencing mental distress; instead, police brutally deployed a K-9, which bit him repeatedly, before shooting Rushing in the back of the head. Now, a police expert is speaking out, casting doubt on every action officers took the night Rushing died and raising more questions about the use of force by law enforcement and the untold consequences of abusing it.
Recent developments in a criminal case against a popular Black police chief reveal just how focused American law enforcement is on "bullshit" crimes. The prosecution of Kelvin Sewell for his role in an investigation involving two parked cars has dragged on for nearly six years. Now prosecutors face a hearing over alleged misconduct, but the fact that Sewell was indicted at all raises serious questions about how much law enforcement in America is about projecting inequitable power.
As Brad Naylor and his brother slept in their parents' home, they were surprised to hear their door kicked open and see guns drawn at 5:00 in the morning. According to the police report, the smell of marijuana lead these officers to enter a home without a warrant and without the consent of the owners. In this episode of PAR, we examine this terrifying experience as another example of the phenomenon of overpolicing, and we explore the high social, political, and financial costs it exacts from small-town America.
Surveillance footage reveals police assaulting an unarmed man on his own property. While the use of force in the video is shocking on its own, what is even more shocking is the fact that the state of Texas is currently threatening the victim with 10 years in prison. On this week's PAR, we take an in-depth look into the common practice of stacking charges to intimidate citizens into taking plea deals, as well as the lack of accountability for aggressive police tactics that violate people's civil rights. We also examine the possibility that police may have targeted the victim in question for previously posting a YouTube video that exposed excessive force.
The brutal assault on a suspect after a high-speed chase that was captured by a security camera reveals how police have many hidden mechanisms to skirt accountability. In this episode, PAR examines not just the circumstances surrounding the attack on a man who was complying with police orders, but how law enforcement used questionable tactics to limit their own liability for what happened.
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Holding police accountable requires defending the First Amendment right to put them on camera. This is why Philip Turner, known on YouTube as The Battousai, fought to solidify that right in Turner v. Driver, a 2017 case decided by the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. However, a shocking video shows Texas police ignoring the law, detaining Turner, and confiscating his video equipment. What the officers didn't realize is that the case law resulting from the Turner v. Driver decision not only protects citizens' right to film the police, but was named after the very man whose rights they were violating!
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firstamendment #policeaccountabilityreport #auditor
Just how far will the criminal justice system go to quash dissent? The case of popular police auditor Otto the Watchdog is a cautionary tale of how far prosecutors and cops will go to pursue charges against people who hold them accountable.
In this episode, PAR speaks with Otto the Watchdog about his three-year ordeal fighting charges for holding a sign police said was offensive, and why he made the decision not to plead guilty after prosecutors offered him a deal to avoid jail.
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Offensive Facebook posts led to the arrest of activist Joshua Martinez. But his treatment in court and $1 million bail reveal the often-overlooked role played by judges in the questionable and unequal implementation of the law—a role that judges often fill with little to no democratic accountability. Martinez is currently under a gag order, so in this episode of PAR we speak to auditor and cop watcher James Freeman about his case, and about the challenging task of reforming the judiciary.
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Citizen journalists continue to play a critical role in holding police accountable, which is why they face increasing pushback from the underlying system that bolsters bad cops. PAR speaks to cop watchers Laura Shark and Lackluster about the challenges they face when reporting on police, and how auditing law enforcement has become an increasingly dicey occupation.
The nation's endless war on mind-altering substances has many casualties, some who refuse to be forgotten. That's why Catherine Freeman is coming forward after 47 years to describe how her family was set up by a drug informant. In this episode of PAR, we listen to her story about how the intersection of law enforcement and politics tore her family apart, and why the truth must finally be told.
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What would cause a former cop to cross the thin blue line and use his camera to monitor law enforcement and hold police accountable? For well-known police auditor James Madison, it was a fraught encounter with a police officer who threatened to falsely arrest him on his own property for filming him. In this week's PAR, we speak to Madison about his conversion from cop to cop watcher, and about the deep issues that plague law enforcement.
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Shortly after our story aired on how police put LA resident Daniel Alvarez in handcuffs for a bogus traffic violation, he was pulled over again for allegedly switching lanes without signaling. In this episode of PAR, we explore the continued use of questionable traffic stops to harass people like Daniel, and what these troubling tactics say about the state of American policing across the country.
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Michelle Lucas, a community activist and grandmother of four, was devastated when she was charged with two felonies for allegedly passing a counterfeit bill. Our investigation uncovered evidence that forced prosecutors to admit the police had made a mistake and had an unexpected impact on her case.
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A Los Angeles man says he was targeted by police after he was pulled over for crossing a line in front of a stop sign; but after placing him in handcuffs and arresting the passenger in his car, a recording cellphone caught the real reason cops pulled him over.
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The hosts of PAR explore how pushback against calls to defund the police seldom acknowledge chronically wasteful spending by police departments that absolutely should be cut.
Public debates about "Defund the Police" have seemingly devolved into an all-or-nothing rhetorical war with little room for nuance. But opponents of the slogan and the movement behind it routinely ignore the decades of profligate spending and wasteful use of taxpayer dollars that has become commonplace for many police departments. In this TRNN podcast, the hosts of the Police Accountability Report take a close look at the numbers and expose some of the most egregious police spending.
As we continue our investigation into over-policing and mass incarceration in rural America, we return to Pocomoke City on Maryland's lower eastern shore to speak with Michelle Lucas. Lucas is a pizza delivery driver, a proud grandmother, and community activist who asserts that she was railroaded into a felony conviction that could result in up to 2 years in prison.
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Why is it so hard to reform the police, let alone hold police accountable for abusing their power? What are the legal and political protections that have put police above the very law they’re supposed to enforce? On this week’s PAR, reporters Taya Graham and Stephen Janis report on site from Annapolis, Maryland, where a Police Union rally was held to push back against recently proposed legislation that would reform policing and revoke the Law Enforcement Officers Bill Of Rights. Then, we speak with veteran copwatcher Tom Zebra on the importance of filming the police and his almost 20 year-long fight for transparency.
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Video obtained by TRNN reporters Taya Graham and Stephen Janis highlights American law enforcement officers' lack of de-escalation training and respect for civilians. In this week's PAR, Graham and Janis investigate the questionable arrest of an immigrant cab driver in Toledo, Ohio, caught on body camera, which shows how quickly police resort to using unnecessary force and how much damage it inflicts upon the civilians they're supposed to protect.
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Every Thursday at 9:00 p.m. EST on The Real News Network, journalists Stephen Janis and Taya Graham premier a new episode of the acclaimed Police Accountability Report, a show that investigates police corruption around the U.S., as well as the grassroots movement to hold police accountable. This week, in lieu of a new episode of PAR, we have a special interview with Janis and Graham about their new full-length documentary, “The Friendliest Town,” which tells the story of Kelvin Sewell, the first African-American police chief of Pocomoke City, MD. When Sewell, a former Baltimore city homicide investigator and narcotics officer, instituted radical changes to Pocomoke City’s policing system, focusing on community policing over aggressive law enforcement, the results were stunning. Then, the local white establishment fought back.
Watch “The Friendliest Town” now:
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Documents obtained by PAR reveal how an air ambulance (medevac) service has been used repeatedly to fly surveillance missions over the city of Baltimore, raising serious questions about the militarization of American police and the dystopian consequences of law enforcement's growing civic influence. On this week's episode of PAR, hosts Taya Graham and Stephen Janis take a closer look at the decision by Maryland State Police to purchase tactical helicopters, which has had troubling implications for a system tasked with providing a critical public health service.
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Another Ohio resident has been arrested under the dubious charge of "misconduct during an emergency," which has been used again by Ohio police to incarcerate another person who filmed them in action.
The arrest raises vexing questions about an obscure Ohio law that gives law enforcement almost unfettered power to detain and charge bystanders. PAR investigates how this statute may have been abused during a tense standoff, and the implications for citizen journalists who seek to record police.
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While the nation suffers a opioid addiction crisis fueled by profit-hungry pharmaceutical companies, police in a small Pennsylvania town arrested a woman for taking a widely prescribed treatment for opiate addiction while driving.
In this week's PAR, Stephen Janis and Taya Graham examine the case of Dawn Williams. We explore what this case reveals about the ongoing war on drugs and how law enforcement continues to criminalize facets of civic life, raising troubling questions about the true imperative of American policing.
Read the transcript for this video: https://therealnews.com/she-was-arrested-for-trying-to-fight-opioid-addiction-with-legal-medication
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A single dad goes camping with his kids and ends up in handcuffs; Then, PAR talks with Otto the Watchdog, a cop watcher who says he has been targeted for harassment for his First Amendment activities.
PAR continues its ongoing reporting on an often-overlooked phenomenon: the growth of overpolicing and mass incarceration in rural communities. In this episode, we examine in detail the arrest of a Texas cop watcher who was charged for protesting police and has since been caught in a web of legal entanglements that reveal the expanding powers of small-town law enforcement.
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Nick Pettit was assaulted by Columbus, Ohio, police for filming a botched raid. We investigated on his behalf, and now evidence gathered by PAR is part of an ACLU lawsuit against the police department that violated his constitutional rights.
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Known for his role in the Occupy Denver movement and his controversial, even profane, manner of exercising his First Amendment rights, Eric Brandt has been arrested roughly 200 times while protesting police brutality and advocating for reform. But he's also quietly racked up key victories in court.
Brandt is a well-known, albeit controversial, figure in the cop watching community and beyond. His tactics may be abrasive, but have they led to real police reform? Or, as others have claimed, is he just a gadfly whose antics are more provocative than substantive? These are the questions we explore in depth on this week's PAR: We examine Brandt's recent court victories in light of the debate over what constitutes real progress towards making law enforcement responsive to the community.
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In this episode of the Police Accountability Report, we tell the story of Kelvin Sewell, the first Black police chief of Pocomoke City, a small town on Maryland's Lower Eastern Shore. When Sewell tried to fight back against a notorious drug unit that was raiding his town and wreaking havoc in the Black community, both he and the people he served faced devastating consequences.
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In the small town of Talking Rock, Georgia, a man was supposedly stopped for avoiding a roadblock, had his car searched without consent, and was arrested for having balding tires. But residents say the story of gross overpolicing in their area goes much deeper.
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Documents obtained by PAR reveal that medical waivers allowing police to administer Ketamine to arrest subjects are based upon questionable medical diagnoses.
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The arrest and prosecution of Texas resident Randal Thompson for drugs found in a car he bought at a police auction renew allegations of police profiteering and entrapment.
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Disabled free speech activist Blind Justice has been held in solitary confinement for a failure to appear charge, while George Floyd's alleged murderer Derek Chauvin was released from prison.
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The latest charges against a Baltimore police officer for assault and misconduct highlight the inability of police to police themselves. And we analyze the exceptional privileges afforded to officers by a special set of laws: the Law Enforcement Officers' Bill Of Rights.
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Retired cardiac surgeon Dr. David Allen discusses being targeted for asset forfeiture because he supports legal marijuana and medical research into cannabis.
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Police Accountability Report Podcast - Episode 1
Colorado Councilwoman Anita Springsteen speaks out against the use of Ketamine to subdue her partner during an arrest and leads a crusade to put a moratorium on Ketamine usage across the state.
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Police Accountability Report Podcast - Episode 1
The limits of the First Amendment are put to the test by veteran Eric Brandt, a cop watcher and member of the Occupy Denver Movement. PAR investigates how a FOX News affiliate may have worked on behalf of prosecutors charging Brandt.