WASHINGTON, D.C. (WXYZ) — The Radio and Television Digital News Association honored WXYZ-TV’s investigative series revealing Detroit’s most troubled police officers with a 2023 regional Edward R. Murrow Award.
The award honored a series of investigative reportsby reporter Ross Jones, editor Randy Lundquist and photographers Ramon Rosario and John Ciolino.
ONGOING COVERAGE: Conduct Unbecoming: Detroit’s Troubled Officers
The investigation revealed how dozens of Detroit police officers kept their badges after committing violent crimes against women and children, forced the department to acknowledge systemic failures in its disciplinary process and prompted officials to label 128 current officers as “high risk” and in need of retraining.
WXYZ’s reporting revealed how 151 Detroit officers had been criminally charged since 2016, dwarfing most similarly sized departments.
The station’s relentless investigations, which began in 2021, prompted the department to identify its riskiest officers—more than 5% of the force—and retrain them.
Publicly, Detroit police officials had claimed to have a “zero tolerance” policy for officers who committed domestic violence, but WXYZ’s reporting proved that was not true.
In vivid detail, the station revealed scores of examples in just the last few years where officers abused wives, strangled girlfriends or left bruises on children but kept their badges while receiving minimal discipline.
The station showed the consequences of those decisions, detailing how officers given second or even third chances went on to abuse multiple citizens. In some cases, those officers were promoted.
In 2022, the department created a new risk management unit in direct response to WXYZ’s reports. Since its formation, the unit has assessed every officer’s risk level by reviewing each allegation of misconduct among DPD’s 2,600 officers.
The series, honored in the Continuing Coverage category, will be considered for a national Murrow award announced later this year.