THE WEEKLY REVEAL
Saturday, July 13, 2024
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Hello! In this issue:
- We now know how many police guns end up at crime scenes—and about the police practice that’s allowing them to end up there.
- An investigation casts major doubts about the guilt of a man on Alabama’s death row.
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Support deep investigations that change lives. Become a member.
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THIS WEEK’S PODCAST
How Police Guns End Up in the Hands of Criminals
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Candace Leslie holds a photo of her late son, Cameron Brown, who was shot and killed in Indianapolis in 2021. The Glock pistol recovered at the scene had previously belonged to a California sheriff's department. Credit: Lee Klafczynski for The Trace
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When the Stanislaus County Sheriff’s Department in California wanted to purchase new firearms, it sold its used ones to help cover the cost. The old guns went to a distributor, which then turned around and sold them to the public. One of those guns—a Glock pistol—found its way to Indianapolis.
That Glock was involved in the killing of Maria Leslie’s grandson, and the fact that it once belonged to law enforcement makes her loss sting even more.
“My grandson was in his own apartment complex. He lived there,” Leslie said. “He should not have been murdered there, especially with a gun that traces back all the way to the California police department’s coffers.”
Across the nation, it’s common practice for police departments to trade in their old weapons rather than destroy them. Tens of thousands of old cop guns are ending up in the hands of criminals. This week, in a collaboration with The Trace and CBS News, reporter Alain Stephens traces the journey of some of those guns from the police departments that sold them to the crime scenes where they ended up.
Then Stephens brings us reporting from The Gun Machine podcast series from WBUR and The Trace. He explores the reasons why police and other law enforcement agencies have greatly expanded their arsenals over recent decades.
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🎧 Other places to listen: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, Pandora, or wherever you get your podcasts.
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Toforest Johnson was convicted of murder and put on Alabama’s death row based on the strength of one “earwitness,” who said she overheard Johnson talking about committing the murder. Many years later, Johnson’s lawyers learned she was paid $5,000 for her testimony by the state. Reveal partnered with the Earwitness podcast to unravel the weak links in the case against Johnson.
Listen: In Bondage to the Law
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This issue of The Weekly Reveal was written by Kate Howard and edited by Nikki Frick. If you enjoyed this issue, forward it to a friend. Have some thoughts? Drop us a line with feedback or ideas!
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