USA TODAY USA TODAY•October 14,
2019296 Comments
We found 85,000 cops who’ve been investigated for misconduct. Now you can read their records.
USA TODAY USA TODAY•October 14, 2019296
Misconduct involves routine infractions, but the records reveal tens of thousands of cases of serious misconduct and abuse.
They include
22,924 investigations of officers using excessive force,
3,145 allegations of rape, child molestation and other sexual misconduct
2,307 cases of domestic violence by officers.
The records document at least 2,227 instances of perjury, tampering with evidence or witnesses or falsifying reports. There were 418 reports of officers obstructing investigations, most often when they or someone they knew were targets.
Less than 10% of officers in most police forces get investigated for misconduct.
Yet some officers are consistently under investigation. Nearly 2,500 have been investigated on 10 or more charges. Twenty faced 100 or more allegations yet kept their badge for years.
The level of oversight varies widely from state to state. Georgia and Florida decertified thousands of police officers for everything from crimes to questions about their fitness to serve; other states banned almost none.
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