Reporters sent out 400 public records requests and secured tens of thousands of pages of records. They found 300 cases in the past decade where an officer helped expose misconduct – a small window into how the system works. The vast majority of those cases ended with those whistleblowers saying they faced retaliation.
"In each of those, the officers who spoke out were forced out of their departments and branded traitors by fellow officers."
Meanwhile, the team reported, "the officers who lied or stayed silent in support of an accused colleague later secured promotions, overtime and admiration from their peers."
Another finding that sticks with Murphy: How the systems that police created to hold themselves accountable, such as internal affairs, often have been weaponized to hunt down and punish whistleblowers.
"I talked to several guys who said they were surveilled – mysterious cars would drive past their house while their wife and kids were outside. Very frightening and intimidating actions," she said. "The police were victims of their own profession and their own agency. These are people who you're supposed to lay your life on the line for, and you're supposed to trust them to have your back no matter what, and then they do these terrible things."
To be sure, not every officer who comes forward faces retaliation. We found cases where departments rewarded whistleblowers.
"In Del City, Oklahoma, a detective who testified against a fellow officer for shooting an unarmed man rose up the ranks to major. In Perth Amboy, New Jersey, an officer who testified against the chief ended up replacing him. There are undoubtedly other departments with similar stories that did not make it into the public record," our story said.
"But for every example of retaliation USA TODAY found, countless others likely remain concealed. That’s because the system works. Officers have seen or heard of other careers destroyed over speaking up."
One Twitter response we got to the story suggested police are no different than any other group in covering for their own: "An institution circles the wagons." Investigative reporter Daphne Duret explains the massive difference.
"These kinds of retaliations could happen in another profession," she said. "But in law enforcement, when this kind of stuff happens, people die. When (police) encounter people, a police officer can be judge, jury and executioner." And when whistleblowers face retaliation, "it does have a chilling effect" on other officers who might come forward.
That's how this story started. Investigative editor Matt Doig was reading online chats about the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis. One police officer, Derek Chauvin, kneeled on Floyd's neck for more than nine minutes while he cried for help. Three other officers didn't stop him. Commenters were wondering why.
"One person who said he was a cop said, 'You guys don't understand law enforcement, it's your whole life, not just your professional life, but your personal life,'" Doig remembers. " 'If you speak out against a brother, your career is over, but your life is over, too. We all go to the same barbecues together. My wife will leave me because all her friends were the wives of cops.' "
That got him thinking, how many whistleblowers had faced retaliation? Could we quantify the number, find out how pervasive the problem is?
That's exactly what the team did.
Already, we're hearing talk of creating an independent inspector general to give whistleblowers a safe place to report. We're hearing that agencies are discussing their internal practices, now that the attention is on them.
That's the purpose of investigative journalism. Shine a light. Right a wrong. Hold the powerful accountable.
We're also heartened by officers reaching out with personal stories – and gratitude.
The Massachusetts officer ended his letter with this:
"I can not thank you enough. Beers are on me!"
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