A yearlong Associated Press investigation uncovered about 1,000 officers in six years who lost their licenses to work in law enforcement for rape, other sex crimes or sexual misconduct. The number is unquestionably an undercount because it represents only those officers who faced an administrative process known as decertification, and not all states take such […]

When an Oklahoma City police officer was charged last year with sexually assaulting or exploiting 12 women and a teenage girl, The Associated Press wanted to know how often officers nationwide are accused of sexual misdeeds. The question has no easy answer because no federal accounting of police misconduct exists. However, most states have standards […]

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. — As darkness falls, the most tattered section of this town’s main drag feels more desperate with each passing hour. Under the cover of night, a slow but steady flow of wandering souls emerges — addicts, prostitutes, drifters. Sergio Alvarez knew the pickings were easy. As a rookie officer on the West […]

OKLAHOMA CITY — Flashing lights pierced the black of night, and the big white letters made clear it was the police. The woman pulled over was a daycare worker in her 50s headed home after playing dominoes with friends. She felt she had nothing to hide, so when the Oklahoma City officer accused her of […]