Sam Stecklow

In Missouri, there is no state law that automatically revokes a convicted police officer’s license.

That must change.

I explain why in my latest column for the Kansas City Star Editorial Board. To read the piece, click on the link below.
LINK
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www.kansascity.com/opinion/opn-...

Puerto Rico’s Municipal Police Is Calling Immigration Enforcement on People Nelfry Hernández-Valdez, a Dominican migrant, was driving through Isabela in September 2025 when he was stopped by officers from the Isabela Municipal Police Department (IMPD), according to a federal ...

NEW: Puerto Rico municipal police officers are calling federal immigration agencies when they encounter migrants during traffic stops and at court hearings. In one instance, the cops held migrants at their police station until CBP arrived.

1/x

thelatinonewsletter.org/p/puerto-ric...

“You’re Not Going to Investigate a Federal Officer” It doesn’t happen often, but local law enforcement can arrest and charge federal agents. Legal experts say there’s a moral obligation to at least try to hold federal immigration officers accountable w...

NEW: It doesn’t happen often, but local law enforcement can arrest and charge federal agents.

Legal experts say there’s a moral obligation to at least try to hold federal immigration officers accountable when they violate the Constitution and the law.

Identified: the El Paso BORTAC crew rampaging through the Midwest One violent duo in particular, U.S. Border Patrol agents Michael Sveum (EZ-2) and Edgar Vazquez (EZ-17), have been frequently seen alongside former commander-at-large Greg Bovino terrorizing crowds wi...

NEW: since last year, a pair of "highly trained" feds have been involved in an array of incidents attacking crowds with chemical weapons.

We used public records and open source analysis to identify Edgar Vazquez and Michael Sveum, alongside some other members of their tactical team.

Read more:

Two CBP Agents Identified in Alex Pretti Shooting The two federal immigration agents who fired on Minneapolis protester Alex Pretti are identified in government records as Border Patrol agent Jesus Ochoa and Customs and Border Protection officer Raym...

1/ BREAKING: Government documents reviewed by ProPublica identify Border Patrol agent Jesus Ochoa, 43, and Customs and Border Protection officer Raymundo Gutierrez, 35, as the two who fired their weapons during the deadly encounter with Alex Pretti in Minneapolis.

These Patches Are Clues to Identifying Immigration Agents We built a guide to patches worn by ICE and CBP to help the public determine which federal agents are in their communities.

EXCLUSIVE: These Patches Are Clues to Identifying Immigration Agents

We built a guide to patches worn by ICE and CBP to help the public determine which federal agents are in their communities

theintercept.com/2026/01/28/i...

Two Idaho guards avoid charges for alleged inmate sex abuse Investigative files reveal allegations from several women that weren’t enough for criminal consequences

There were witnesses. And victim accounts. One man was stripped of his certification for "criminal conduct" and "inappropriate sexual conduct while on duty." But it wasn't enough to charge 2 Idaho prison guards accused of sexually abusing multiple women. www.investigatewest.org/two-idaho-pr...

Michael Connelly Should Stick To Fake Crime | Defector The origin of Michael Connelly’s new true crime podcast, Killer in the Code, was a rather far-fetched tip fielded by Rick Jackson, a retired detective from the Los Angeles Police Department. A self-de...

for the weekend crowd: I dug into a new podcast that pins a bunch of notorious murders on a long-dead Jewish man from San Diego. It's the ugliest true crime property in recent memory. [gift link] defector.com/michael-conn...

Social card with text: Wondering how to effectively track police misconduct? Start here.

The need for law enforcement transparency & accountability has never been clearer – especially as ICE wreaks havoc on communities.

But police misconduct has always been hard to track, penalize, and prevent.

These resources aim to change that 🧵

Fascinating to see former Utah police chief Ken Wallentine cited here as a use of force “consultant” voicing concerns about ICE tactics.

Wallentine spent years writing policies that protect cops who use force for Lexipol, and nearly all of his “consulting” in lawsuits has been on behalf of police.

Loose Rules Let State Police Hand Out Lax Penalties for Serious Misconduct

NEW, by me: Loose Rules Let State Police Hand Out Lax Penalties for Serious Misconduct

The agency's disciplinary system is weaker than other large departments in NY. Troopers who committed serious misconduct have been allowed to remain on the job.

www.nytimes.com/2026/01/28/u...

How We Tracked Down Thousands of Police Misconduct Files

Here's what I've been working on the past two and a half years: www.nytimes.com/2026/01/28/u...

The Invisible Institute is hiring for a full-time Investigative Reporter — Invisible Institute The Invisible Institute is hiring an investigative reporter to join our team and work alongside our staff to report on police abuse, state violence, and official secrecy in Chicago and beyond.

Join our team! The Invisible Institute is hiring an investigative reporter to join our team and work alongside our staff to report on police abuse, state violence, and official secrecy in Chicago and beyond. Apply by Feb. 15th!

Taking a page from local cops in Minnesota:

Resource spotlight: Data projects tracking police misconduct, use of force, and employment histories The need for law enforcement transparency, oversight, and accountability has never been clearer. We highlight data projects that have helped document and investigate misconduct, as ...

Thanks to @prisonpolicy.org for featuring @invisible.institute's public police data projects the National Police Index and Civic Police Data Projects in this resource spotlight, in good company with our friends in California, Louisiana, and elsewhere:

Teach In on Data for Police Accountability | January 22, 2026 in Oakland, CA For decades, law enforcement agencies across the United States have operated behind walls of secrecy—particularly when officers abuse their power or use lethal force. That opacity has real consequence...

We are excited to co-sponsor this event on police accountability in Oakland on January 22 with @ucbids.bsky.social, Anti-Police Terror Project (APTP), Community Law Enforcement Accountability Network, & the National Police Index.

hrdag.org/2026/01/13/t...

How Chicago's 'Fraternal Order of Propaganda' shapes the story of fatal police shootings - Chicago Reader When cops kill civilians, their union is on hand to defend them. In many cases this has come at the expense of the truth.

Shaping narratives when police shoot and kill someone has been a fundamental part of how police and their supporters operate. For example, see this @yanak.bsky.social @samstecklow.bsky.social story about the Chicago Police Department from 2016: chicagoreader.com/news/how-chi...

He was at Jan. 6. The Phoenix Police Department hired him anyway Scotty Bach was a Seattle cop when he went to the "Stop the Steal" rally in D.C. Now he carries a badge in Phoenix.

Police officers move to new departments all the time. What is the responsibility of local agencies to make sure they're not hiring officers accused of misconduct?

@samstecklow.bsky.social and I look at the hiring of one officer in Phoenix

www.phoenixnewtimes.com/news/phoenix...

He was at Jan. 6. The Phoenix Police Department hired him anyway Scotty Bach was a Seattle cop when he went to the "Stop the Steal" rally in D.C. Now he carries a badge in Phoenix.

In the first of three stories, @yanak.bsky.social and I report on how self-imposed pressures on the Phoenix PD pushed officials to hire increasing amounts of "lateral transfer" officers from other departments — or other states.

@invisible.institute + @theappeal.org + @phoenixnewtimes.com

Seattle Investigated a Cop for Attending Trump’s Rally on Jan. 6. Phoenix Hired Him. As Phoenix PD rushed to fill open positions, the department may have overlooked red flags in recruits' backgrounds.

NEW: In 2021, Seattle cop Scotty Bach attended the Stop the Steal rally on Jan. 6, resigned after an investigation found it was "inconclusive" whether or not he committed misconduct there, and sued to prevent his name from being released.

In 2022, he was hired by the Phoenix Police Department.

Officer Who Killed 12-Year-Old Tamir Rice Just Got Two More Police Jobs in West Virginia — Dragline Public outcry erupted last July when news broke that Timothy Loehmann – the man who killed 12-year-old Tamir Rice in a Cleveland park in 2014 – was hired as a police officer by the City of White Sulph...

Timothy Loehmann killed 12-year-old Tamir Rice in a Cleveland park in 2014.

Records show Loehmann was recently hired again by not one, but two departments in West Virginia: the Snowshoe Resort Community District and the Gilmer County Sheriff's Office.

A Police Killing Drew National Protests. At Home, a Commission Struggles with How to Make a Difference.  More than a year after Sonya Massey was killed by police in Illinois, a namesake commission has wrestled over changes that would prevent future tragedies.

Over the past year, a group of activists, former law enforcement officials, and relatives of people who were harmed by police worked to recommend police reforms for Springfield, Illinois. Their new report reflects months of debate and compromise.

Tim Ballard’s Reputation is in Shambles. The Americans He Helped Arrest Want Answers. After Ballard’s fall, the people he helped arrest in Washington want to know why no one seems willing to take a second look at their cases.

New from Kevin Light-Roth: Tim Ballard promoted the use of sting operations to combat sex trafficking until his own sexual misconduct allegations tore his career to shreds. Now, the families of men he helped send to prison are demanding answers: theappeal.org/net-nanny-wa...

Trade secrets protections shield information from public view When a government contractor’s right to privacy outweighs the public’s right to know

new: government contractors are increasingly invoking trade secrets protections to shield products like gunshot detection, dna analysis, and facial recognition from public scrutiny.

via max blaisdell + matt chapman

Feds Used Chemical Agents Dozens of Times in Chicago An investigation by reporters from six newsrooms found that agents used chemical irritants nearly 50 times during Operation Midway Blitz.

Several Chicago newsrooms spent two months collecting and analyzing evidence of ICE & Border Patrol's use of tear gas and pepper spray in Chicago.

They found that agents deployed chemical agents nearly 50 times. Most uses occurred after a judge ordered federal agents to restrict their use.

‘Horrific’ video of incident at Chicago’s juvenile jail raises questions about recent trial, experts say Former Juvenile Temporary Detention Center employee Kevin Walker was acquitted last month of charges related to the incident, which left a 15-year-old boy bruised and unconscious.

NEW: Newly released video of a December 2023 incident inside the Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center has raised questions about a judge’s decision to acquit one of the officers involved, experts and advocates told Injustice Watch. buff.ly/uM9m0zx

‘Doesn’t look good’: ICE agent charged with drunken driving after shift at Broadview detention center An Immigration and Enforcement agent has been charged with drunken driving after his car crashed after a shift at the Broadview detention center.

NEWS: ICE agent charged with drunken driving after shift at Broadview detention center. Car crash into a hedgerow. Trump’s Midway Blitz is claimed to be inspired by an undocumented drunk driving death.
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/05/i...

Wasting Away: Florida lets big companies pollute with impunity. Waterways suffer | TampaBay.com For decades, Florida has failed to cut contamination — at the benefit of businesses that cause it.

Every time #Florida tried to regulate polluters, the polluters bought enough politicians to make the state back off -- hence the rampant contamination of FL waterways. An investigation by the @tampabaytimes.bsky.social that quantifies the damage done. project.tampabay.com/investigatio...

Chicago-Area Companies Raked In Millions From Feds As Operation Midway Blitz Intensified One Chicago-based company was awarded more than $7 million to relocate ICE employees while a suburban weapons manufacturer was paid nearly $1.5 million in two weeks to supply pepper balls and air-powe...

Federal agencies paid $1.5 million to a local nonlethal weapons manufacturer in Chicago for air-powered guns and pepper balls. It also paid $7.3 million to a downtown real estate company to relocate ICE agents leading up to Operation Midway Blitz. blockclubchicago.org/2025/10/23/c...

The Absurd Prosecution of a Man Who Posted a Charlie Kirk Meme Larry Bushart Jr. posted trolling memes on a Facebook thread about a vigil for Kirk. He’s been in a Tennessee jail ever since.

In the wake of Charlie Kirk's death, a TN sheriff had a 61-yr-old man arrested for posting a meme on Facebook, which the sheriff absurdly construed as a threat. It was pretty clearly bullshit but I dug into the case using FB & public records and now it looks even worse. My latest @theintercept.com: