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Tampa police chief resigns after she flashed her badge to escape a traffic stop

Mary O'Connor, pictured here addressing reporters during a news conference at Tampa Police headquarters in February, resigned after using her position to escape a ticket during a traffic stop. Dirk Shadd/Tampa Bay Times via AP hide caption

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Dirk Shadd/Tampa Bay Times via AP

National

Tampa police chief resigns after she flashed her badge to escape a traffic stop

Body camera footage showed Police Chief Mary O'Connor saying "I'm hoping you'll just let us go tonight" after a deputy pulled her and her husband over for driving an unregistered golf cart.

Alleged police misconduct cost Yonkers, N.Y., millions. The complaints kept coming

Police vehicles are parked outside the headquarters of the Yonkers Police Department in Yonkers, N.Y. Since 2007, the U.S. Department of Justice has been investigating the Yonkers Police Department and recommending areas for reform. José A. Alvarado Jr. for NPR hide caption

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José A. Alvarado Jr. for NPR

Investigations

Alleged police misconduct cost Yonkers, N.Y., millions. The complaints kept coming

An NPR investigation examined records of payouts by the city and found troubling patterns: Plaintiffs alleged that police often used excessive force. And several officers were repeatedly named.

A $3 Million Deal Is Reached In The Rough Arrest Of A 73-Year-Old Woman With Dementia

This video from the Loveland Police Department body camera footage shows Karen Garner, who has dementia, on the ground while being arrested on June 26, 2020. The city of Loveland announced Wednesday, Sept. 8, 2021, that it will pay $3 million to settle a lawsuit over her arrest. AP hide caption

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AP

National

A $3 Million Deal Is Reached In The Rough Arrest Of A 73-Year-Old Woman With Dementia

The Colorado city of Loveland has agreed to pay a settlement to Karen Garner after police grabbed her arm, pushed her to the ground and dislocated her shoulder, according to a federal lawsuit.

On Our Watch: The Brady Rule
Nicole Xu for NPR

Embedded

On Our Watch: The Brady Rule

Fellow officers long suspected a veteran detective in Antioch, Calif., was leaking operational police secrets to a drug dealer. For years, the department didn't act on their concerns. Even after the detective was finally fired in 2017, his record remained secret. In episode six of On Our Watch we look at the incentives departments have to investigate dishonest cops and what the secrecy around police misconduct means for criminal defendants who are prosecuted on their testimony.

On Our Watch: The Brady Rule

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Louder Than A Riot

Presenting: On Our Watch

What happens to police officers who use excessive force, tamper with evidence or sexually harass someone? In California, internal affairs investigations were kept secret from the public — until a recent transparency law unsealed thousands of files. On Our Watch is a limited-run podcast from NPR and KQED that brings you into the rooms where officers are interrogated and witnesses are questioned to find out who the system of police accountability really serves, and who it protects.

Presenting: On Our Watch

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Dallas Officer Ordered Man To Kill Two People, Police Say

A photo provided by the Dallas County Sheriff's Office shows Bryan Riser. Authorities say Riser, a Dallas police officer, has been arrested on two counts of capital murder, more than a year and a half after a man told investigators that he kidnapped and killed two people at the officer's instruction in 2017. AP hide caption

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AP

National

Dallas Officer Ordered Man To Kill Two People, Police Say

Officer Bryan Riser, 36, was charged with capital murder in the deaths of a 61-year-old man and a 31-year-old woman, Dallas Police Chief Eddie García said at a Thursday media briefing.

Police Settlements: How The Cost Of Misconduct Impacts Cities And Taxpayers

A memorial for Breonna Taylor is seen during the Good Trouble Tuesday march for Breonna Taylor on Tuesday, Aug. 25 in Louisville, Ky. Amy Harris/Amy Harris/Invision/AP hide caption

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Amy Harris/Amy Harris/Invision/AP

America Reckons With Racial Injustice

Police Settlements: How The Cost Of Misconduct Impacts Cities And Taxpayers

Payouts range from multi-million-dollars to far less but the financial impact is often overlooked. One argument in the protests over policing is that funds for police could be better used elsewhere.

Police Settlements: How The Cost Of Misconduct Impacts Cities And Taxpayers

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'Invisible No More' Examines Police Violence Against Minority Women

Andrea J. Ritchie is a black lesbian immigrant, police misconduct attorney, and 2014 Senior Soros Justice Fellow. She is currently researcher-in-residence on Race, Gender, Sexuality, and Criminalization at the Barnard Center for Research on Women. W.C. Moss/Beacon Press hide caption

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W.C. Moss/Beacon Press

Criminal Justice Collaborative

'Invisible No More' Examines Police Violence Against Minority Women

Author Andrea Ritchie wants the incidents of police violence involving women of color and transgender women to get as much attention as black men and boys have received in recent years.

Ritchie reads from her book

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New Orleans To Pay $13.3 Million Over Police Killings In 2005

Sherrel Johnson, mother of 17-year-old James Brissette, who was killed by New Orleans police officers on the Danziger Bridge six days after Hurricane Katrina. Gerald Herbert/AP hide caption

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Gerald Herbert/AP

The Two-Way

New Orleans To Pay $13.3 Million Over Police Killings In 2005

Mayor Mitch Landrieu announced the city would pay millions of dollars to people who were injured and to families of those killed by New Orleans police around the time Hurricane Katrina hit.

Chicago Mayor Creates Civilian Agency To Monitor Police

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, shown here in January, wants to create a new Civilian Office on Police Accountability to investigate police shootings, allegations of excessive force and other police misconduct. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images hide caption

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Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Law

Chicago Mayor Creates Civilian Agency To Monitor Police

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel says the new Civilian Office on Police Accountability will be independent, but critics say it will still answer to city hall.

Chicago Mayor Creates Civilian Agency To Monitor Police

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All Tech Considered

Can Big Data Help Head Off Police Misconduct?

An officer who has been under stress after responding to cases of domestic abuse or suicide may be at higher risk of a negative interaction with the public, a data scientist says.

Can Big Data Help Head Off Police Misconduct?

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Chicago Mayor Says He Will Disband Much-Criticized Police Oversight Agency

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel speaks at the 84th winter meeting of the U.S. Conference of Mayors in January in Washington, D.C. Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images

The Two-Way

Chicago Mayor Says He Will Disband Much-Criticized Police Oversight Agency

The Independent Police Review Authority is charged with investigating police shootings and misconduct in the city — but has been criticized for acting slowly and rarely doling out disciplinary action.

Court Gets Unusually Specific On Police Taser Gun Use

According to the new ruling, police in five Southeastern states cannot use Tasers on nonviolent, noncooperative suspects. Andrew Francis Wallace/Toronto Star via Getty Images hide caption

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Andrew Francis Wallace/Toronto Star via Getty Images

Law

Court Gets Unusually Specific On Police Taser Gun Use

A federal court recently gave strict rulings against police use of Taser guns in five Southeastern states. But court rulings usually aren't this specific, and some experts see this as a problem.

PROFILE: Young Prosecutor In Gray Case Shows No Tolerance For Police Misconduct

Baltimore City State's Attorney Marilyn J. Mosby announces that criminal charges will be filed against Baltimore police officers in the death of Freddie Gray in Baltimore on Friday. Gray died in police custody after being arrested on April 12. Andrew Burton/Getty Images hide caption

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Andrew Burton/Getty Images

The Two-Way

PROFILE: Young Prosecutor In Gray Case Shows No Tolerance For Police Misconduct

Marilyn Mosby promised to tackle violent crime and police misconduct when she took office in January. She wasted no time in leveling charges against six police officers in the death of Freddie Gray.

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