Podcasts about on our watch

When Valentino Rodriguez started his job at a high-security prison in Sacramento, California, informally known as New Folsom, he thought he was entering a brotherhood of correctional officers who hold each other to a high standard of conduct.Five years later, Rodriguez would be found dead in his home. His unexpected passing  would raise questions from his family and the FBI. Before he died, Rodriguez was promoted to an elite unit investigating crimes in the prison. His parents and his widow say he had been hoping for the position for a long time. But once inside the unit, the job consumed him. From day one, his fellow officers began to undermine and harass him. Stressed and fed up with how he was being treated, Rodriguez reached a breaking point. He left the prison, but his experiences there still haunted him—so he went in for a meeting with the warden. He didn't know it would be his last.This week on Reveal, we partner with KQED reporters Sukey Lewis and Julie Small and the On Our Watch podcast to explore what this correctional officer's story shows about how the second-largest prison system in the country is failing to protect the people who live and work inside it.This is an update of an episode that originally aired in March 2024. Listen to the whole On Our Watch series here. Support Reveal's journalism at Revealnews.org/donatenow Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get the scoop on new episodes at Revealnews.org/weekly Instagram

The warden at a troubled prison in northern California is retiring this month, and the governor has just given the former chief deputy warden there a big promotion. KQED reporters Julie Small and Sukey Lewis investigated this prison for their podcast On Our Watch, and they have an article out this week that tells the emotional story of a pair of whistleblowers who work there and the challenges they faced. Guest: Julie Small, KQED The co-founders of failed Fresno startup Bitwise Industries have been sentenced to prison for wire fraud.  Reporter: Kerry Klein, KVPR  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Our Watch was made possible by the passage of a groundbreaking law enforcement sunshine bill in 2018. Today we talk to California State Senator Nancy Skinner, who co-authored the state's “Right to Know Act," about the legacy of her landmark bill, ongoing obstacles to transparency, and the need for accountability in California prisons. Learn more about Sen. Skinner's work on law enforcement transparency, including The Right to Know Act (SB 1421) and SB 16, by visiting her webpage. The California Reporting Project, a coalition of newsrooms, provides insights into how these open-records acts are being implemented. Mental health resources If you are currently in crisis, you can dial 988 [U.S.] to reach the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. SAMHSA National Help Line 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) Helpline US Health and Human Services Warmline Directory Episode Transcript Find more information at our website. If you have tips or feedback about this series please reach out to us at onourwatch@kqed.org.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In recent years, high profile cases of police brutality across the U.S. have brought increased attention and scrutiny to police misconduct and use of force incidents. When something happens, the police often say "we're investigating." But what's really being done to ensure police are held accountable for their actions?Sukey Lewis is a criminal justice reporter at KQED. As part of the multi-newsroom California Reporting Project, she has spent years obtaining previously-sealed police internal affairs records, to find out what happens when law enforcement agencies investigate themselves.In this episode of The Sunday Story, host Ayesha Rascoe speaks with Lewis about the new season of her podcast, On Our Watch, which focuses on correctional officers. Lewis talks about her reporting on New Folsom, one of the most dangerous prisons in California. And she shares the stories of two whistleblowers who worked as correctional officers within the prison and ultimately died while fighting to expose its secrets.You can listen to all eight episodes of season 2 of On Our Watch at kqed.org/onourwatch.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

California State Prison, Sacramento – also known as New Folsom Prison – is considered one of the state's most dangerous. It's one of several facilities in California that house the most violent offenders, and corrections officers there use force at a rate that's nearly 40% higher than in other prisons. It's also a notoriously difficult environment for prison workers, who face high rates of work-related mental health issues, as well as hazing and abuse if they report official misconduct. A new season of KQED's award- winning podcast “On Our Watch” looks at the pattern of abuse, cover-up and corruption at New Folsom and traces the stories of whistleblowers who tried to bring it to light. We learn more from the KQED reporters behind the investigation. Guests: Julie Small, criminal justice reporter, KQED; reporter, "On Our Watch" Sukey Lewis, criminal justice reporter, KQED; host/reporter, “On Our Watch”; co-founder, the California Reporting Project Valentino Rodriguez Sr., father of Valentino Rodriguez Jr. - a whistleblower who worked at New Folsom Prison

When Valentino Rodriguez graduated from the academy to become a correctional officer for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, he was promised a brotherhood. At his graduation, the new officers took an oath to protect the innocent, be honest and hold each other accountable. But when he started his job at the high-security prison in Sacramento, informally known as New Folsom, he found the opposite. He told his wife and father about misconduct in the prison and harassment, threats and mistreatment of incarcerated people. KQED reporters Sukey Lewis and Julie Small learned of Rodriguez's experience after he was found dead, just six days after reporting the misconduct he witnessed. Their series, On Our Watch, follows Rodriguez's case and his father's investigation into his son's death.  This episode opens with Lewis and her reporting team meeting the Rodriguez family at their home and Rodriguez's wife, Mimy. They tell the reporters about who Rodriguez was and his journey through New Folsom. In the prison, Rodriguez earned a spot as a member of an elite unit investigating crimes committed in the prison. But his colleagues made it clear they didn't think he deserved the promotion and demeaned his work. As the job weighed on Rodriguez and his mental health, his father, Val Sr., started to see him change.    After his son's death, Val Sr. collects all the evidence he can on his son's experience in the prison and shares it with Lewis and Small. This includes a copy of Rodriguez's cellphone that he used for work, with proof of the misconduct he reported from members of his unit. Through this personal record of Rodriguez's life, along with disciplinary records obtained through a recent transparency law passed in California, Lewis and Small find a pattern of misconduct that goes deeper than Rodriguez's experience.  In our last segment, Reveal host Al Letson sits down with Lewis and Small to discuss any accountability taken by prison officials. Only two of the men who harassed Rodriguez were disciplined, but none of the supervisors with knowledge of the harassment seem to have faced consequences. The reporters talk about other cases of misconduct they uncovered from public documents from the state corrections department, and they share how Rodriguez's father and wife have been since their reporting became public.  Support Reveal's journalism at Revealnews.org/donatenow Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get the scoop on new episodes at Revealnews.org/newsletter Connect with us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram

When correctional officer Valentino Rodriguez first stepped behind prison walls, he wasn't just starting a job, he was joining a brotherhood. What he didn't know was that he was now bound by an unwritten code that would ultimately test his loyalty to his oath and his fellow officers. Valentino's sudden death on October 21, 2020 would raise questions from the FBI, his family and his mentor in the elite investigative unit where they both worked. For more than two years, our colleagues with KQED's investigative podcast On Our Watch have been looking into what happened to Valentino Rodriguez, because his story is part of something much bigger. He was a correctional officer at New Folsom prison, near Sacramento, where the reporting team has found use of force that's off the charts, and a pattern of suspicious beatings. This week we bring you an excerpt from the first episode of the series.

Two correctional officers pay a high price for exposing corruption and abuse by their fellow officers, in the most dangerous prison in California–New Folsom. This incredible episode is from On Our Watch, an investigative podcast series from our friends at KQED. This story touches on intense topics including substance use, state violence, and self harm. Please take care while listening. If you need support, there are resources below. On Our Watch is a story about broken promises and unwritten rules. It's a story about who gets hurt when the system that promises to keep us safe is bent on protecting itself. Host Sukey Lewis and co-reporter Julie Small piece together an explosive narrative through interrogation tapes, 911 audio, prison phone calls, personal audio recordings, and hours of emotional interviews. It includes exclusive analysis of hundreds of previously secret documents—some only unsealed by lawsuits brought by KQED—and sheds light on misconduct and abuse within the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Listen and follow now. RESOURCES If you are currently in crisis, you can dial 988 [U.S.] to reach the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. SAMHSA National Help Line 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) Helpline US Health and Human Services Warmline Directory Season 15 - Episode 8

A podcast investigates CA State Prison, Sacramento - formerly called New Folsom. Also, a Placer County production company makes a film on homelessness starring Billy Baldwin. Finally, the nation's first Black woman cartoonist in the mainstream press. Podcast Investigates CA State Prison in Sac The second season of KQED's investigative podcast On Our Watch debuted this week, focusing on the deaths of two correctional officers at California State Prison, Sacramento - formerly called New Folsom - who reported misconduct, corruption, and abuse by fellow officers. KQED Criminal Justice Reporters Sukey Lewis and Julie Small join Insight to talk about what their investigation uncovered within the walls of “New Folsom,” and the barriers and challenges officers faced when trying to report wrongdoing. The California Dept. of Corrections and Rehabilitation released the following statement in response to the podcast: CDCR takes every allegation of employee misconduct very seriously and has restructured its process to ensure complaints are properly, fairly and thoroughly reviewed. In January 2022, CDCR implemented emergency regulations to improve the investigations process on staff misconduct allegations, and the department received funding in the 2022-23 state budget to support these continued efforts. A system of fixed and body-worn cameras is in place. In September 2022, CDCR announced changes to employee discipline for misconduct directed at incarcerated people, parolees, other employees, or members of the public. CDCR continues to work with outside law enforcement agencies on this case and cannot comment on many specific questions raised by reporters for this story. Placer County Movie on Homelessness There's a lot of movie buzz in Sacramento these days and one of the films that's getting attention is called No Address, starring William Baldwin. The feature movie, along with an accompanying documentary, will tell the story of the homelessness crisis and how so many Americans are one paycheck, one job loss, or one medical emergency away from ending up on the streets. Actor William “Billy” Baldwin, along with Jennifer Stolo, CEO of Placer County-based Robert Craig Films, join us to talk about the movie and why they believe the story of homelessness is an important topic to tackle, especially in light of the situation here in California. ‘STILL: Racism in America, A Retrospective in Cartoons' It's a special bond when a parent and child share a common passion. But one father and daughter took it to a whole other level, pioneering their own groundbreaking paths as Black cartoonists in the mainstream press. And their decades-long work is now on display, with a message that still resonates today. Cartoonist Barbara Brandon-Croft and curator Tara Nakashima Donahue, discuss their new installation at the UC Davis Design Museum “STILL: Racism in America, A Retrospective in Cartoons," which explores racism through cartoons by Brandon-Croft and her late father Brumsic Brandon, Jr. The exhibit runs through April 21.

On Our Watch Season 2: New Folsom is a deeply-reported narrative podcast series from KQED. It follows the stories of two correctional officers in an elite unit who pay a high price for exposing corruption and abuse by their fellow officers. It's a story about broken promises and unwritten rules. It's a story about who gets hurt when the system that promises to keep us safe is bent on protecting itself. Host Sukey Lewis and co-reporter Julie Small piece together an explosive narrative through interrogation tapes, 911 audio, prison phone calls, personal audio recordings, and hours of emotional interviews. Our exclusive analysis of hundreds of previously secret documents—some only unsealed by lawsuits brought by KQED— sheds light on misconduct and abuse within the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.Listen and follow On Our Watch .

Retired intelligence Detective Gary Jenkins brings you a new podcast that he is excited about. On Our Watch: New Folsom is a gripping investigative podcast series brought to you by KQED. This show delves into the stories of two courageous correctional officers. These officers face severe consequences after exposing corruption and abuse within their ranks. […] The post On Our Watch appeared first on Gangland Wire.

We're back with a second season of On Our Watch from KQED! “New Folsom” traces the footsteps of two whistleblowers in an elite investigative unit in California's most dangerous prison. Host Sukey Lewis and co-reporter Julie Small piece together a gripping narrative about broken promises and unwritten rules. It's a story about who gets hurt when the system that promises to keep us safe is bent on protecting itself. New episodes drop weekly, starting February 6. 

Week 2 of No Pain No gain hit different. AS A CHRISTIAN: We have to do anything and everything we can to keep people from getting deceived by the enemy of God! We don't live in a godly world and we're losing the spiritual battle that's taking place. ON OUR WATCH...evil is winning!

What happens to police officers who use excessive force, tamper with evidence or sexually harass someone? In California, internal affairs investigations were kept secret from the public — until a recent transparency law unsealed thousands of files. Listen to the first episode of On Our Watch, a limited-run podcast from NPR and KQED that brings you into the rooms where officers are interrogated and witnesses are questioned to find out who the system of police accountability really serves, and who it protects.

Less than six weeks after our KQED colleagues from On Our Watch published an episode that revealed new information about the police killing of Oscar Grant, California's Attorney General Rob Bonta announced he was opening an external investigation into the 12-year old case, which he says remains unsolved.  KQED's Sukey Lewis spoke with Bonta to discuss systemic issues in California policing, and how he wants them to be addressed. She also covers some upcoming police reforms that could lead to more accountability and transparency. Listen and subscribe to On Our Watch.

Less than six weeks after On Our Watch published an episode examining the shooting and death of Oscar Grant, California's Attorney General Rob Bonta opened an external investigation into the 12-year-old case. In a wide-ranging interview with On Our Watch's Sukey Lewis, Bonta talks about California's systemic issues in policing, his efforts at addressing them and says the Oscar Grant case remains unresolved. We also look at new police reforms promising that cops who commit serious misconduct can be stripped of their badges.

Episode four of On Our Watch from NPR and KQED investigates the case of a plainclothes Stockton police officer who grabbed a Black 16-year-old, took him to the ground and punched him, knocking the teen's two front teeth onto a convenience store floor.

Episode four of On Our Watch from NPR and KQED investigates the case of a plainclothes Stockton police officer who grabbed a Black 16-year-old, took him to the ground and punched him, knocking the teen's two front teeth onto a convenience store floor.

We talk a lot on this show about people who have been killed by police officers. But there is so much police violence that falls short of being fatal, but forever alters the lives of the people on the business end of it. So this week, we're turning things over to the "On Our Watch" podcast, out of KQED and NPR's Investigations Team.

In episode three of On Our Watch, we examine the records that were unsealed by this transparency law to piece together what exactly happened on September 14, 2014 when Pedie Perez was shot and killed outside a liquor store by a police officer, Wallace Jensen.

In episode three of On Our Watch, we examine the records that were unsealed by this transparency law to piece together what exactly happened on September 14, 2014 when Pedie Perez was shot and killed outside a liquor store by a police officer, Wallace Jensen.

This week's bonus episode comes from the limited-run podcast On Our Watch from NPR and KQED. One of the first police shootings to be captured on cell phone, millions saw Bay Area Rapid Transit police Officer Johannes Mehserle fire a single, fatal gunshot into Oscar Grant's back as the 22-year-old lay face down on the train station platform. Now, a lawsuit filed by NPR member station KQED has forced BART to comply with California's 2019 police transparency law, and release never-before-heard tapes from inside that investigation.

A 16-year-old Black kid walks into a gas station in Stockton, Calif. to buy gummy worms for his little sister. When the teen gets in an argument with the clerk over a damaged dollar bill, a white officer in plainclothes decides to intervene — with force. We bring you an episode of On Our Watch, a new podcast from NPR and KQED that traces the ripple effects of this incident over the next 10 years in a department trying to address racism and bias.

In the world of police reform, accountability for misconduct depends on transparency – and that kind of transparency exists in very few places. So when a state finally does open its files on police discipline, what do we learn? We talk to Sukey Lewis and Sandhya Dirks, two reporters at KQED in San Francisco; their new podcast, On Our Watch, is a deep dive into the inner workings of the police disciplinary process. Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Our colleagues at KQED and NPR have spent countless hours analyzing the world of police discipline, thanks to a police transparency law that unsealed thousands of files.  And over the past few weeks, they've been sharing that work in the form of On Our Watch, a limited-run podcast that brings you into the rooms where officers are interrogated and witnesses are questioned, to find out who this shadow system of police accountability really serves, and who it protects. Many episodes of On Our Watch also focus on Bay Area police departments. And today, we wanted to share an episode that focuses on Antioch — and what happened when a veteran detective spent years leaking operational secrets. Subscribe to On Our Watch here. 

Fellow officers long suspected a veteran detective in Antioch, Calif., was leaking operational police secrets to a drug dealer. For years, the department didn't act on their concerns. Even after the detective was finally fired in 2017, his record remained secret. In episode six of On Our Watch we look at the incentives departments have to investigate dishonest cops and what the secrecy around police misconduct means for criminal defendants who are prosecuted on their testimony.

An officer is repeatedly disciplined for not turning in his police reports on time. A mom goes to the police asking for help with her missing daughters. In the fifth episode of On Our Watch, we look at what can happen when police don't follow through on reports of victimization, and an accountability process that doesn't want to examine those failures.

Fellow officers long suspected a veteran detective in Antioch, Calif., was leaking operational police secrets to a drug dealer. For years, the department didn't act on their concerns. Even after the detective was finally fired in 2017, his record remained secret. In episode six of On Our Watch we look at the incentives departments have to investigate dishonest cops and what the secrecy around police misconduct means for criminal defendants who are prosecuted on their testimony.

One officer in Los Angeles used car inspections to hit on women. Three hundred miles away in the San Francisco Bay Area, another woman says an officer used police resources to harass and stalk her. This episode investigates these two cases of sexual misconduct by California Highway Patrol officers. While the officers were fired, the agency did not refer potential crimes to prosecutors. And the files show some women who came forward were met with suspicion, discouragement, or what one woman saw as intimidation. Snap presents, “Conduct Unbecoming,” the second episode of On Our Watch, an investigative podcast from NPR & KQED. This episode contains instances of sexual misconduct but it does not contain sexual assault. Sensitive listeners, please be advised. Thank you, Sukey Lewis, Sandhya Dirks, Alex Emslie, and the entire On Our Watch team! On Our Watch is an amazing seven-part podcast series, hosted by Sukey Lewis. It was created after a new police transparency law unsealed scores of internal affairs files. NPR and KQED reporters set out to examine these cases and the shadow world of police discipline. Learn more about On Our Watch at KQED.org. Listen & subscribe now! On Our Watch is produced as part of the California Reporting Project, a coalition of news organizations in California. Artwork by Nicole Xu for NPR Season 12 - Episode 25

A 16-year-old Black kid walks into a gas station in Stockton, Calif. to buy gummy worms for his little sister. When the teen gets in an argument with the clerk over a damaged dollar bill, a white officer in plainclothes decides to intervene — with force. In the fourth episode of On Our Watch, we trace the ripple effects of this incident over the next 10 years in a department trying to address racism and bias. But can the chief's efforts at truth and reconciliation work when the accountability process seems to ignore the truth?

An officer is repeatedly disciplined for not turning in his police reports on time. A mom goes to the police asking for help with her missing daughters. In the fifth episode of On Our Watch, we look at what can happen when police don't follow through on reports of victimization, and an accountability process that doesn't want to examine those failures.

In 2019, California Senate Bill 1421 unsealed thousands of internal police department files, body camera footage and audiotapes for the first time. These are police departments' own, previously-confidential investigations into their officers' misconduct and serious use of force cases. For more than two years, reporters at NPR and member station KQED have been working to obtain these materials and report these stories. They've spoken to investigators, victims, and family members. The pilot of On Our Watch is this week's bonus episode of Up First.

A 16-year-old Black kid walks into a gas station in Stockton, Calif. to buy gummy worms for his little sister. When the teen gets in an argument with the clerk over a damaged dollar bill, a white officer in plainclothes decides to intervene — with force. In the fourth episode of On Our Watch, we trace the ripple effects of this incident over the next 10 years in a department trying to address racism and bias. But can the chief's efforts at truth and reconciliation work when the accountability process seems to ignore the truth?

For decades, police misconduct investigations in California were kept secret from the public. That all changed when a 2018 law, SB 1421, made many of those records accessible under the California Public Records Act. “On Our Watch,” a new podcast by KQED and NPR, examines how California law enforcement investigates complaints of misconduct, the harm experienced by the people who filed these complaints — and how that harm was sometimes furthered in the process of seeking accountability. The podcast tells stories of police killings, sexual harassment and excessive force that in many cases left survivors and families demanding justice for years. We'll hear about those stories and the shadow world of police discipline.

A police officer in Los Angeles told women he'd let their cars pass inspection if they had sex with him. In the San Francisco, Bay Area, another woman says an officer used police resources to harass and stalk her. The California Highway Patrol quietly fired both men for sexual harassment, but never looked into whether their misconduct was criminal. The second episode of the NPR series On Our Watch examines the system of accountability for officers who abuse their power for sex and exposes where that system falls short.

What happens to police officers who use excessive force, tamper with evidence or sexually harass someone? In California, internal affairs investigations were kept secret from the public — until a recent transparency law unsealed thousands of files. On Our Watch is a limited-run podcast from NPR and KQED that brings you into the rooms where officers are interrogated and witnesses are questioned to find out who the system of police accountability really serves, and who it protects.

Details continue to surface about the gunman who killed nine people at a Valley Transportation Authority light rail yard in San Jose on Wednesday. According to his ex-girlfriend, he was prone to both physical and sexual violence. Domestic abuse is often linked to mass shootings. Guest: April Zeoli, Professor with Michigan State University's School of Criminal Justice California has introduced a more than $100 million incentive plan to get more people vaccinated. An example -- the next two million people who get vaccinated in the state will get a $50 gift card. Reporter: April Dembosky, KQED In California, police misconduct records used to be kept hidden but that changed in 2019, when the state implemented a new police transparency law. Lots of agencies are still pushing back against this transparency mandate, but a new investigative podcast from KQED and NPR is shedding light on some of these recently unsealed records. Guest: Sukey Lewis, Criminal Justice Reporter, KQED and host of On Our Watch

In the small Northern California town of Rio Vista, a woman named Katheryn Jenks calls 911 for help. But after the police arrive, she ends up injured and inside a jail cell, facing serious charges. That same day, California Governor Jerry Brown signs a new law, State Senate Bill 1421, that opens up long hidden records of police misconduct, including files that might change the outcome of Jenks' case. This story is from the new NPR series, On Our Watch.

One officer in Los Angeles used car inspections to hit on women. In the San Francisco Bay Area, another woman says an officer used police resources to harass and stalk her. The California Highway Patrol quietly fired both of them for sexual harassment, but never looked into whether their misconduct was criminal. The second episode of On Our Watch examines the system of accountability for officers who abuse their power for sex and exposes where that system falls short.

What happens to police officers who use excessive force, tamper with evidence or sexually harass someone? In California, internal affairs investigations were kept secret from the public — until a recent transparency law unsealed thousands of files. On Our Watch is a limited-run podcast from NPR and KQED that brings you into the rooms where officers are interrogated and witnesses are questioned to find out who the system of police accountability really serves, and who it protects. New episodes drop weekly, starting Thursday, May 20.