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Criminal Justice

Accused in Elkhart

Justice in an Indiana County

Indiana’s first man to be pardoned based on innocence was tried in Elkhart County. But that troubling case doesn’t stand alone. In a county known for cranking out RVs, there’s a deeper story about how justice is carried out by police, prosecutors and judges.

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Accused in Elkhart

In 2018, We Reported on an Abusive Cop. He Was Just Sentenced to a Year in Prison.

Five years after ProPublica and the South Bend Tribune partnered to investigate police misconduct in Elkhart, Indiana, reporter Ken Armstrong reflects on the incremental but powerful impact journalism can have on communities.

Local Reporting Network

Accused in Elkhart

Another Police Officer Pleads Guilty to Punching Handcuffed Man

The conviction is the latest development in the extensive fallout from an investigation into the criminal justice system in Elkhart, Indiana, by ProPublica and the South Bend Tribune.

Local Reporting Network

Accused in Elkhart

Indiana Police Officer Pleads Guilty After Beating Handcuffed Man

The officer was charged after the South Bend Tribune and ProPublica obtained a video showing two officers retaliating at a suspect who spat at them.

Local Reporting Network

Accused in Elkhart

Two Indiana Police Officers Face Federal Charges in Videotaped Beating of Handcuffed Man

The charges come after ProPublica and the South Bend Tribune exposed details of the abuse and published the video. “The alleged actions by these individuals went against everything in the oath they took to serve and protect,” the FBI said.

Local Reporting Network

Accused in Elkhart

Stung by Controversies, Police Chief Resigns in Elkhart, Indiana

Ed Windbigler’s resignation as chief follows a videotaped beating of a handcuffed man and reports by the South Bend Tribune and ProPublica that he had promoted officers with disciplinary histories.

Local Reporting Network

Accused in Elkhart

Elkhart City Council Members Support Investigation of Police Department

If the Department of Justice won’t investigate, council members say they would pay for an outside investigation into misconduct by Elkhart police.

Local Reporting Network

Accused in Elkhart

Elkhart, Indiana, Police Chief Suspended for 30 Days Following Release of Beating Video

The mayor disciplined the chief after revelations by the South Bend Tribune and ProPublica about the city’s troubled police force. But the mayor made no public announcement, leaving people, including the chair of the city’s civilian oversight commission, to wonder where the chief was.

Local Reporting Network

22 stories published since 2018

The Chief Prosecutor in Elkhart, Indiana, Is Accused of Misconduct for Making Contradictory Allegations

Wrongly Convicted Man Receives $7.5 Million Settlement in Indiana

A New Study Prompted by Our Reporting Confirms Elkhart, Indiana, Police Department Lacks Accountability

Why Are Cops Around the World Using This Outlandish Mind-Reading Tool?

Police Footage: The Interrogation That Led to Ricky Joyner’s Murder Charge

The Questionable Conviction, and Re-Conviction, of Ricky Joyner

Detective in Elkhart, Indiana, Wrongful Conviction Case Dies in Apparent Suicide

In Elkhart, Indiana, Another Conviction Gets Tossed. The Star Witness Was Hypnotized, a Fact the Prosecutor Concealed.

Long-Lost Records Surface in Wrongful Conviction Case, Detailing Lead Detective’s Fondling of Informants

Elkhart’s Mayor Says He Won’t Run for Re-election, Amid Revelations of Misconduct in the Police Ranks

Elkhart’s Acting Police Chief Has Previously Been Demoted, Reprimanded and Suspended

An Elkhart Police Officer Was Convicted of Drunken Driving — Then the Chief Promoted Him

With Trump’s Justice Department Retreating, Who Will Now Police the Police?

“They Should Have Been Fired on the Spot”: In Elkhart, Indiana, the Talk Is All About the Police and a Video

Indiana State Police Turn Down Elkhart Mayor’s Request for Broad Review of City’s Police Department

Nearly All the Officers in Charge of an Indiana Police Department Have Been Disciplined — Including the Chief Who Keeps Promoting Them

Who Runs This Police Department? Lots of Officers Who’ve Been Reprimanded or Even Suspended.

How a Police Beating in Elkhart, Indiana Unfolded

Indiana Police Officer Before Punching Handcuffed Man: “If You Spit Again, We’re Gonna Party”

Two Indiana Police Officers to be Charged After Video Shows Them Beating Handcuffed Man

When Public Records Aren’t Public

Standing by Their Convictions

What We’re Watching

During Donald Trump’s second presidency, ProPublica will focus on the areas most in need of scrutiny. Here are some of the issues our reporters will be watching — and how to get in touch with them securely.

Learn more about our reporting team. We will continue to share our areas of interest as the news develops.

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Sharon Lerner

I cover health and the environment and the agencies that govern them, including the Environmental Protection Agency.

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Andy Kroll

I cover justice and the rule of law, including the Justice Department, U.S. attorneys and the courts.

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Melissa Sanchez

I report on immigration and labor, and I am based in Chicago.

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Jesse Coburn

I cover housing and transportation, including the companies working in those fields and the regulators overseeing them.

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