An officer bungled a teen rape case. The victim was abused again. The investigator, who did not believe the teen, faced little punishment, illustrating the different ways that officers in New York State are disciplined for misconduct.

New: Former @umichsmtd.bsky.social professor Stephen Shipps was release from prison yesterday, according to the Bureau of Prisons website. Back in 2023, right before I graduated from from U of M, I wrote about his sentencing for @michigandaily.bsky.social: michigandaily.com/news/former-...

NEW: A teen said she was being sexually abused by her adoptive father. An officer didn't believe the teen and didn't take steps to investigate. The teen was returned to the home, where she continued to face sexual abuse. The officer was given just a reprimand. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/17/u...

Fascinating reporting from a fellow local investigations fellow: www.nytimes.com/2025/10/28/u...

Fascinating reporting based on disciplinary files: www.readfrontier.org/stories/tuls...

Across New York State, police officers have driven drunk. And sometimes, they avoided criminal punishment. An investigation with @nytimes.com.

Across New York State, police officers have driven drunk. And sometimes, they avoided criminal punishment.

My first article as part of The Times' Local Investigations Fellowship: In New York, Some Police Officers Can Drink, Drive and Avoid Charges www.nytimes.com/2025/09/09/u...

New, for @nymag.com: ‘A Persistent Pattern of Sexual Harassment’ New court filings offer the fullest picture yet of alleged misconduct at the New York Philharmonic. www.vulture.com/article/new-...

I'm so excited to continue writing for New York Focus while also working under the amazing stewardship of The Times' Local Investigations team!

We just won a Pulitzer Prize for our coverage of the overdose crisis. www.thebaltimorebanner.com/community/lo...

Since Oct. 7, 2023, the Israeli army led a massive deployment in destruction, killings & arrests in the West Bank. But while it maintains a webpage in 5 languages, the spokesperson updated with details in Hebrew only, @sammysussman.bsky.social reports. newlinesmag.com/reportage/th...

New, for @newlinesmag.bsky.social: In Oct. and Nov. ‘23, as human rights groups worked to gather evidence of mass detentions in the West Bank, the IDF was releasing daily updates on these detentions — and targeted killings, airstrikes, etc. — on the just Hebrew version of a little-known press page.

Impressive student journalism: One of Ann Arbor’s major prop. owners is also a big local pol. donor. These reporters found 3 previous felony convictions under different surnames — now a local councilwoman alleges she attempted bribery and an FBI investigation www.michigandaily.com/news/focal-p...

nor do they want incarcerated people to read this one, apparently: nysfocus.com/2025/03/03/d... just got this message yesterday:

New York's Prison Officials Don't Want Incarcerated People to Read This Story The state's prison agency has censored lawsuits, emails, and Hell Gate stories during the three-week-long wildcat strike.

Disappointing to see this at IRW, an institution that previously supported reporting by me and by other interns/staff on these very issues in workplaces across the country:

NEW INVESTIGATION from me: There's a secretive, and frequently abusive unit of the NYPD that's tight w/ Mayor Eric Adams How tight? Well, the unit's leaders bought special body-cams that can live-stream footage to select users. Then they gave access to the mayor www.propublica.org/article/eric...

Behind the scenes of our investigation: www.muckrock.com/news/archive...

NY’s conviction integrity units promise justice for the wrongfully convicted. But an investigation by New York Focus and @columbiajournalism.bsky.social Investigations found that nearly half of the county units have yet to support a single exoneration.

NEW: Bedford Hills has seen delays in distributing medication in the short time since lockdown. One woman attempted suicide. Another had an apparent panic attack. Across the state, those on the inside struggle to get by while prison guards walk off the job.

"Prisons all over the United States are withholding books from prisoners, but not because they contain contraband. Books are becoming harder to receive based on their content."

Once again, The Daily is doing the essential reporting that holds the University accountable. What a smart decision to include all the attorney’s quotes… www.michigandaily.com/news/focal-p...

The city resents the suggestion it was trying to hide something by calling a special meeting and not telling the media. But that's *opinion,* not a false statement of fact. And by suing over an editorial, the city's proving them right.

Powerful reporting from @sanjanabhambhani.bsky.social: www.bbc.com/future/artic...

Important, powerful reporting from Riya! thebarbedwire.com/2025/02/05/h...

Did someone say Sullivan?

NEW: After the devastating Twin Parks fire in the Bronx, the Bronx Community Foundation raised over $400,000 for victims. Almost none of it was spent.

Yes, I am the “Sussman” in this (now closed) case.

NEW: The #Colorado Supreme Court upheld an appellate #FOIA opinion blocking access to CO POST's statewide database of police. While the SC avoided upholding broader implications of the appellate decision, the outcome is the same: Coloradans are subject to less transparency about their police.

NEW w/@theintercept.com: An investigation sheds light on how "excited delirium," a disavowed diagnosis cited in numerous Black Lives Matter-era deaths, has infiltrated the Rochester Police Department.

NEW, for @muckrock.com: Thousands of pages of previously unreleased NYS DOCCS media review records reveal that 300 of 1,800 texts reviewed in 44 prisons from Feb to July 2023 were banned. The records suggest that banning is unpredictable and inconsistent. www.muckrock.com/news/archive...

NEW: Prisons in New York state have used an opaque, vaguely defined process to ban hundreds of books and other texts, according to documents MuckRock obtained through open records requests, reports @sammysussman.bsky.social. www.muckrock.com/news/archive...

Introducing the "Behind the Badge" newsletter: Weekly updates on the police misconduct files from across NY that I've obtained. Also in each newsletter: A "Wish We Knew More" file highlighting a specific and noteworthy never-before-seen incident. open.substack.com/pub/policefi...

From @niemanlab.org: Experts predict that bureaucratic barriers to processing FOIAs will grow more challenging in the coming years with a second Trump presidential term, including a surge in requests, longer delays and more court dates. www.niemanlab.org/2024/11/what...

Please help us expand our police misconduct reporting! We’d love to work with reporters, researchers and FOIA-inclined citizens in NY and across the country!

Sharing one other piece: “Can Police Be Trusted to Release Their Own Misconduct Records?” Apparently not. When I FOIL’d for the Village of Chester’s police misconduct records, the chief said “there are no records.” The only problem? The chief himself had been investigated for misconduct in 2023.

Resharing this now that I’m on here: “Rehired: How New York’s Problem Cops Can Bounce Between Jobs” Joe O’Connell moved through 3 departments in 2 decades after committing misconduct in each dept. “He was a good patrolman, a damn good patrolman,” one chief said. “But he had a dark side.”

Are you a reporter, freelancer or FOIL-inclined citizen in New York State? We'd love to work with you on our "Behind the Badge" project! (Read some previous reporting from our project here: nysfocus.com/behind-the-b...) Sign up to collaborate here: www.muckrock.com/assignment/a...