Jan. 24, 2024Commonwealth Media ServicesSome deleted Pa. crime lab records ‘no longer accessible,’ State Police sayby Angela CouloumbisAffected records may include information about how evidence was handled once it reached the lab, as well as communication logs and digital images.
Jan. 23, 2024Commonwealth Media ServicesGov. Josh Shapiro’s admin blames ‘human error’ for deletion of Pa. State Police recordsby Angela Couloumbis of Spotlight PAThe Office of Administration under Gov. Josh Shapiro accidentally deleted thousands of records including State Police evidence logs. Some records haven’t been recovered.
Jan. 11, 2024Amanda Berg / For Spotlight PAPennsylvania provides state money for public defense for the first timeby Danielle Ohl of Spotlight PAThe state legislature approved $7.5 million for indigent defense. Until now, Pennsylvania was one of the few states to not provide state funding for public defenders.
Dec. 28, 2023Courtesy of Jeff MarocchiThree years ago, a police officer killed Christian Hall. Now, the legislature will study the role of 911 in mental health emergencies.by Danielle Ohl of Spotlight PANearly three years after police shot and killed Christian Hall, the state legislature funded a study into improving the 911 system for mental health emergencies
Nov. 21, 2023Joe Lamberti / For Spotlight PAA dying man won release from prison after Spotlight PA highlighted his case. It shouldn’t be that hard, advocates say.by Danielle Ohl of Spotlight PAData shows fewer than 50 people were released in the last 14 years under the current compassionate release law.
Sept. 25, 2023Nate Smallwood / For Spotlight PAJailbreaks in Pennsylvania are not as common as recent events implyby Danielle Ohl of Spotlight PAA Spotlight PA analysis of Pennsylvania Department of Corrections data reveals jailbreaks aren’t as common as recent high-profile examples imply.
Sept. 18, 2023Yaasmeen Piper / Spotlight PAFour takeaways from our event discussing incarceration and mental health in Pennsylvaniaby Danielle Ohl of Spotlight PAFive panelists discussed the findings of Spotlight PA’s investigation and Pennsylvania’s community mental health crisis.
Aug. 28, 2023Commonwealth Media ServicesGov. Shapiro refuses to intervene on Pa. police officer data disclosureby Danielle Ohl of Spotlight PAA coalition of newsrooms requested Pennsylvania’s database of police officers, but officials denied the info, citing safety concerns for undercover officers.
Aug. 16, 2023Commonwealth Media ServicesA plan to stop diverting road dollars to Pa. State Police could be a final piece of this year’s budgetby Stephen Caruso of Spotlight PAPennsylvania gives millions of dollars meant for road and bridge repairs to the State Police each year. Lawmakers are weighing how to end those transfers.
July 11, 2023Gov. Josh Shapiro / Commonwealth MediaWhy some say an effort to fix Pa.’s outdated probation law does more harm than goodby Danielle Ohl of Spotlight PAPennsylvania's probation system can trap people in yearslong cycles of monitoring and incarceration for noncriminal violations.
May 24, 2023Jose F. Moreno / Philadelphia InquirerPa. State troopers more likely to do optional searches for Black, Hispanic drivers than white onesby Danielle Ohl of Spotlight PADespite optional searches being more likely for Black and Hispanic drivers, contraband seizures from searches occurred more often for white drivers, according to the new report.
April 26, 2023HEATHER KHALIFA / Philadelphia InquirerPa. doesn’t fund public defense. Shapiro’s budget would change that.by Danielle Ohl of Spotlight PAThe $10 million proposal would be the most funding the state has ever dedicated to supporting the constitutional right to counsel.
April 5, 2023Commonwealth Media ServicesShapiro’s proposed Pa. State Police fund saves road dollars but raises accountability concernsby Stephen Caruso of Spotlight PAGov. Josh Shapiro wants to stop diverting money meant for road and bridge repairs to the Pennsylvania State Police by creating a new fund with dedicated revenue.
March 20, 2023Nate Smallwood / For Spotlight PA and PINJHow some police, attorneys, and jails are trying to help Pa.’s ailing system for mentally ill peopleby Danielle Ohl of Spotlight PAWithout a statewide solution, some local Pennsylvania officials are finding ways to prevent people unfit to stand trial from getting trapped in jail.
March 9, 2023Nate Smallwood / For Spotlight PA and PINJCompetency proceedings in Pa. typically involve minor crimesby Danielle Ohl of Spotlight PA and Brittany Hailer of The Pittsburgh Institute for Nonprofit JournalismAn analysis of the initial charges given to people facing a competency evaluation found the most common were misdemeanors resulting from those experiencing symptoms of mental illness in public.
March 9, 2023Nate Smallwood / For Spotlight PA and PINJHow Spotlight PA and PINJ reported ‘A Criminal Solution’by Danielle Ohl of Spotlight PA and Brittany Hailer of The Pittsburgh Institute for Nonprofit JournalismThe newsrooms spent months reviewing hundreds of documents, interviewing sources, and analyzing data on Pennsylvania’s competency system.
March 9, 2023Nate Smallwood / For Spotlight PA and PINJDetermining if someone is mentally fit for trial in Pa. often traps them in the place making them worse — jailby Danielle Ohl of Spotlight PA and Brittany Hailer of The Pittsburgh Institute for Nonprofit JournalismA Spotlight PA/PINJ investigation found few state hospital beds for those with severe mental illness, ill-equipped jails, and a system so broken some defense attorneys avoid it entirely.
Jan. 31, 2023MONICA HERNDON / Philadelphia InquirerSome Pa. courts are excluding probation officers from requirements under police misconduct lawby Min Xian of Spotlight PA State CollegeThe decision further undermines the effectiveness of a program once lauded as a national model and championed by Gov. Josh Shapiro when he was attorney general.
Nov. 21, 2022HEATHER KHALIFA / Philadelphia InquirerJudges in Pa. can now dismiss charges against people ‘incompetent’ to stand trial, but flaws remainby Danielle Ohl of Spotlight PA and Brittany Hailer of the Pittsburgh Institute for Nonprofit JournalismThe state Supreme Court closed a decades-old legal loophole that kept people who would never be competent to stand trial on criminal charges in jail or prison indefinitely.
Oct. 31, 2022Missing traffic stop data from Pa. State Police undercut 2021 analysis for racial disparitiesby Danielle Ohl of Spotlight PAResearchers said the incomplete data were due to confusion over traffic stops that resulted in only a verbal warning, and that troopers have received updated instructions.
Oct. 20, 2022ELIZABETH ROBERTSON / Philadelphia InquirerJail officials across Pa. sound alarm as mental health crisis puts people at risk, survey findsby Danielle Ohl of Spotlight PA and Brittany Hailer of the Pittsburgh Institute for Nonprofit JournalismA statewide survey of county jails by Spotlight PA and the Pittsburgh Institute for Nonprofit Journalism revealed many facilities openly admit they are not equipped for the growing mental health crisis.
Oct. 12, 2022Ed Mahon / Spotlight PAYork County agrees to improve public access to criminal court records in response to suit by Spotlight PA, othersby Ed Mahon of Spotlight PAThe settlement resolves allegations that the clerk of courts improperly delayed or denied access to criminal court records.
Aug. 26, 2022Jose F. MorenoNew report on racial bias in Pa. State Police traffic stops delayed by data problems, officials sayby Danielle Ohl of Spotlight PAState Police resumed collecting traffic stop data in 2021 after a Spotlight PA investigation found the department stopped tracking the information a decade ago.
Aug. 24, 2022Courtesy of PennDOTYour license plate frame is enough for police in Pa. to pull you over, court rulesby Angela Couloumbis of Spotlight PAThe judges found the state’s vehicle code prohibits any part of the plate from being covered, including the visitpa.com website of the state’s tourism office.
July 21, 2022ALEJANDRO A. ALVAREZ / Philadelphia InquirerA beginner’s guide to requesting public records on Pa. law enforcementby Emma Dooling of Spotlight PAInterviews with experts and an analysis of data from the Pennsylvania Office of Open Records offer tips for successfully using the state’s Right-to-Know Law.
July 14, 2022Abby Drey / Centre Daily TimesJudge makes public search warrants involving Penn State student crime victims after university had them sealedby Sarah Rafacz of Spotlight PA State CollegeA judge in Centre County had sealed an entire case at the request of Penn State, a rare move that potentially violates the right to open courts guaranteed by the state and U.S. Constitutions.
July 11, 2022ALEJANDRO A. ALVAREZ / Philadelphia Inquirer5 takeaways from our event on Pennsylvania’s flawed police hiring databaseby Danielle Ohl of Spotlight PAPanelists said legislative action and other accountability measures are needed to close loopholes left in the 2020 law that created Pennsylvania’s law enforcement hiring database.
July 6, 2022Andy ColwellMeet Min Xian, local accountability reporter for Spotlight PA State Collegeby Min Xian of Spotlight PA State CollegeA graduate of Penn State, Xian has been reporting on rural and accountability issues in central and northern Pennsylvania for the past five years.
June 27, 2022Conflicting reports, gaps in data obscure true number of Pa. law enforcement agenciesby Emma Dooling and Danielle Ohl of Spotlight PASpotlight PA’s attempt to count police agencies in Pennsylvania unearthed large discrepancies — and that has implications for accountability.
June 21, 2022MONICA HERNDON / Philadelphia InquirerStatewide Pennsylvania police hiring database hindered by loopholes, lack of enforcementby Danielle Ohl of Spotlight PAThe database was hailed as a model to stop bad officers from hopping from one job to another. But now State Police say legislative changes are needed to make it more effective.
Booklight PA: Read ‘The School for Good Mothers’ and discuss it with author Jessamine ChanAttendSep 25