Deadly Force: WPLN News Investigates

"Making Noise" is a four-part series by WPLN and WNXP about how the music promotion company Lovenoise has changed the music landscape of Nashville. The best way to listen is to subscribe to the WNXP Podcasts feed.

A juvenile court in Rutherford County was illegally jailing and detaining kids for 16 years before a former juvenile delinquent-turned-lawyer came up with a plan to take it on. This four-part narrative podcast builds on a joint investigation by WPLN Nashville Public Radio and ProPublica and is produced by The New York Times and Serial Productions. “The Kids of Rutherford County” reveals how this system came to be, with particular attention to the adults responsible for it and the two juvenile delinquents-turned-lawyers who try to do something about it. The podcast's host is Meribah Knight, a Peabody Award-winning reporter for Nashville Public Radio who co-reported the original investigation. Listeners can subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and wherever podcasts are available. The first two episodes will premiere on Thursday, Oct. 26; parts three and four will air the following two Thursdays.

(t's a matter of weeks before the last residents of the Riverchase Apartments have to move out before it is demolished and rebuilt. But trying to find a home has come with extreme difficulties, especially for families.

Moving can be hugely disruptive. But housing organizers are trying to minimize the impact for residents of the soon-to-be-demolished Riverchase Apartments in Nashville. In the second part of our series, learn how the developer and organizers are working together — most of the time — to help them make the move.

One by one, the brightly painted Riverchase Apartments in Nashville are getting boarded up for redevelopment. But the deterioration has been apparent to residents and even government inspectors for years. So why hasn't the city been able to protect the people who live there? WPLN's Ambriehl Crutchfield has been investigating.

Each day, thousands drive past the brightly painted Riverchase Apartments just across from downtown Nashville. They've provided a rare combination of affordable units and skyline views. But one by one, they've been getting boarded up, and major changes are coming.  WPLN's Ambriehl Crutchfield reviewed more than 1,600 inspections to understand how the apartments continued to decline despite government inspections, what low-wage residents are doing to find new homes in the city's hot housing market, and why organizers are at odds about the way forward. 

For years, Nashville's police department has struggled to recruit women and people of color. That's eroded trust with many communities who want officers that look like them. Now, a new administration is making changes at its training academy. And they hope the updates will attract — and better prepare — a more diverse set of officers. Catch up on the full series — and how it was reported — at WPLN.org/Academy.

Research suggests the atmosphere at a police academy can affect how officers do their jobs, as well as who makes it from the classroom to the beat. Go deeper into this series at WPLN.org/Academy.

About 1,000 police recruits have dropped out of Nashville's police academy in recent years. Women and people of color dropped out at the highest rates. So, why are so many of those recruits failing their training courses? Or flat-out giving up before they even make it to patrol? WPLN News — with help from the investigative reporting center APM Reports — examines Nashville's challenge to diversify its police force in this three-part series. Find online extras at WPLN.org/Academy.

In this series, we're going to tell you about what's been described as a toxic culture of misconduct and retaliation within the Metro Nashville Police Department. And the disciplinary system that has allowed that culture to thrive.

Three years ago today, a white Nashville police officer shot and killed a Black man while he ran away with a gun in his hand. He was supposed to stand trial for murder this July. Instead, he took a last-minute plea deal. And the victim's family was outraged. Credits: WPLN News Investigates: Deadly Force is a production of Nashville Public Radio. Editing for this episode came from Chas Sisk, Emily Siner and Anita Bugg. The episode was written, produced and sound designed by me, Samantha Max. Damon Mitchell also contributed reporting. And a big thank you to the entire team at WPLN News. Pool audio from the plea hearing comes from NewsChannel5. Other news tape comes from channel 5 and Fox17. Find all our coverage of the case at wpln.org. This is Deadly Force, a WPLN News Investigation.

Deadly Force host Samantha Max was in court as Andrew Delke took a plea deal. She speaks with WPLN host Nina Cardona about the deal, how the sides agreed to it, and how people have reacted.

The first Metro Nashville Police Department officer charged with murder for an on-duty killing will not stand trial after all. Jury selection for Andrew Delke's trial was slated to begin next week. But his attorney says his client has agreed to a plea deal for voluntary manslaughter, which he will formally accept in criminal court.

Jim Todd has been practicing law for more than a quarter of a century. And as a defense attorney who also spent more than a decade in the Nashville District Attorney's office, he's seen the legal system from both sides. But next week, it won't be an ordinary civilian going on trial. It'll be a Nashville police officer, the first to be charged with murder for an on-duty killing.

After Officer Andrew Delke was charged with murder in 2019, host Samatha Max called up Philip Stinson of Bowling Green State University to talk through how rare it is for an officer to face such a serious charge. Delke is the first Nashville police officer charged with murder for an on-duty shooting — and one of just a few across the country. Jury selection for the trial begins next week.

Commander Scott Byrd took on the role of Metro Nashville Police's director of training during a leadership change last year, and he's tried to establish himself as a reformer who's committed to improving how Nashville police officers are trained. But the recent spate of shootings has put those promises to the test.

Deadly Force host Samantha Max chats with WPLN host Marianna Bacallao about what's happened in Nashville since the podcast aired last July, including the naming of a new police chief and the shootings of five men by police. She also discusses how the case against Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin compares to the one against Nashville Officer Andrew Delke, whose trial begins July 6.

Metro Nashville Police Officer Andrew Delke is back in court today for the third in a series of hearings leading up to his murder trial next month. His attorney has called multiple witnesses and introduced new evidence to try to prove his shooting of Daniel Hambrick in 2018 was justified. WPLN's Samantha Max has been following the proceedings. She says they've focused on two issues that are likely to play a central role at trial: whether Delke had the right to shoot and a missing piece of surveillance footage. She sat down with Morning Edition host Nina Cardona to discuss the latest news from court.

Cities across the U.S. are grappling with how to reform their police departments — or start over altogether — as one killing of Black person by police after another makes headlines. But in Nashville, like in most places, change has never been quick or easy. In this episode, we explore just how difficult it can be to spark real change. And why so many past reforms have failed to earn Black residents' trust.  Credits: WPLN News Investigates: Deadly Force is a production of Nashville Public Radio. Editing for this episode came from Chas Sisk, Emily Siner and Anita Bugg, with additional editing from Tony Gonzalez, Meribah Knight and Dwight Lewis. Fact checking by Daniel Potter. This episode was written, produced and sound designed by  Samantha Max. Chas Sisk, Shalina Chatlani and Tony Gonzalez also contributed reporting.   Our music is from Blue Dot Sessions. The news tape we used in this episode comes from CBS and CNN. Archival tape of Presidents Lyndon B. Johnson and Ronald Reagan comes from the Miller Center at the University of Virginia and the Reagan Library.  The advertisement you heard is from Vote No Nashville. Sound of Sheila Clemmons Lee delivering signatures comes from the Tennessean. Audio from the election night celebration is from Community Oversight Now. 

When Officer Andrew Delke killed Daniel Hambrick, he became the first Nashville police officer to be charged with murder for an on-duty shooting. But he's not the first to kill a civilian, nor the first white officer to kill a Black man. In this episode, we dissect half a century of trauma, anger and escalating distrust as one shooting after the next failed to bring about reform. And we try to understand why this shooting is the one that's going to trial.

Metro Nashville Police Officer Andrew Delke says he was following his training when he shot and killed Daniel Hambrick during a foot chase. So do his attorneys and supporters at the police union. In this episode, we take a deep dive into the department's training and culture that teaches officers when to use force. And the mixed messages officers receive, both in the academy and on the streets. Credits: WPLN News Investigates: Deadly Force is a production of Nashville Public Radio. Editing for this episode came from Chas Sisk, Emily Siner and Anita Bugg, with additional editing from Tony Gonzalez, Meribah Knight and Dwight Lewis. Fact checking by Daniel Potter. The episode was written, produced and sound designed by Samantha Max. Chas Sisk also contributed reporting. Our music is from Blue Dot Sessions. The dash camera audio you heard at the beginning of this episode is a YouTube clip featured in the Metro Nashville Police Department's Officer Survival course. Andrew Delke's interview audio comes from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.

On July 26, 2018, the lives of two 25-year-old men crossed paths at a stop sign. That chance encounter would take one life and forever change another. And it would lead to the first murder charges brought against a Nashville police officer for an on-duty killing of a civilian. In this episode, we examine the lives of both men.  Credits: WPLN News Investigates: Deadly Force is a production of Nashville Public Radio. Editing for this episode came from Chas Sisk, Emily Siner and Anita Bugg, with additional editing from Tony Gonzalez, Meribah Knight and Dwight Lewis. Fact checking by Daniel Potter. The episode was written, produced and sound designed by Samantha Max. Tony Gonzalez, Meribah Knight, Shalina Chatlina, Eli Newman and Chris Ehrman also contributed reporting.  The music in this episode is from Blue Dot Sessions. The Metro Nashville Emergency Communications Center provided the police dispatch tape. 

Nine months before Nashville Officer Andrew Delke shot and killed Daniel Hambrick, he was criticized by supervisors. But not for use of force. It was a night when Delke didn't pull his gun. In the prologue to "WPLN News Investigates: Deadly Force," we'll glimpse into the mind of a police officer struggling to make sense of when to use his gun.