Investigations

Metropolitan Police Department (DC Police / MPD) Apr 17

Does having cops run crime rewards for tips program help or hurt?

Many communities offer cash rewards for tips from the public to solve difficult cases, but the News4 I-Team found there’s little scrutiny of how effective those programs are.

News4 Responds Apr 12

A Virginia woman bought her dream car. Then the repo truck came — for someone else
Catholic Church Apr 8

Survivors of church sex abuse share stories in bankruptcy court in presence of archbishop of Baltimore

Metropolitan Police Department (DC Police / MPD) Sep 14, 2023

Acting DC police chief claims 30% crime drop; stats don't back it up

The results of one of the Metropolitan Police Department’s many summer crime initiatives were not as impressive as D.C. police leadership suggested they were, a News4 I-Team investigation found. “What...
Culpeper County Sep 14, 2023

Concerns raised after 17-year-old son of Culpeper sheriff joins response to school emergency

Two law enforcement sources close to the incident and a high school parent confirm to the News4 I-Team the 17-year-old boy left the school during the three-and-a-half-hour stay-in-place order, grabbed...
Prince George's County Sep 13, 2023

Legislator accuses Prince George's Co. Council of using her pregnancy to silence her

Many have gotten used to working remotely since the pandemic, but there was an ugly debate this week in Prince George’s County, Maryland, over whether to allow council members on the all-Democra...
car theft Sep 13, 2023

Some victims of Kia, Hyundai theft facing backlog of parts

Potentially thousands of Kia and Hyundai owners whose cars have been vandalized or stolen wait in limbo for replacement parts.

Washington DC Sep 8, 2023

DC's 911 center short-staffed at least a third of the time in July, August

Forced by the D.C. Council to report on its own shortcomings, the Office of Unified Communications released data Friday showing it has been short-staffed a third or more of the time since July 1. The data, analyzed by the News4 I-Team, also show the District’s 911 center is routinely failing to meet national standards in how quickly it answers emer...
Prince George's County Sep 7, 2023

Prince George's police review general orders after video of officer getting into cruiser with woman

Prince George’s County police are investigating a video that appears to show an officer embracing a woman before getting into the back of his police cruiser with her.
Consumer Sep 7, 2023

Mistakenly declared dead: How one error can lead to years of devastation

Elise Allen, 13, of Temple Hills, Maryland, has quite the summer story to tell her friends. According to the Social Security Administration, the teen is deceased. “I’m right here. I’m living,” said Elise. Her mom told the News4 I-Team she found out her daughter had been declared dead after receiving denial letters for medical benefits. “Medical ins...
DC Public Schools (DCPS) Sep 7, 2023

DCPS questioned over school lunch contract delay

The D.C. Council questioned D.C. Public Schools over its failure to get a new food service contract in place. Investigative Reporter Ted Oberg explains.
DC Public Schools (DCPS) Sep 5, 2023

DCPS misses food service deal due date

D.C. Public Schools is yet again delaying a pricy contract to feed students. The News 4 I-Team learned Tuesday the deal, which is worth upward of $30 million, has not yet been approved by the D.C. attorney general. The I-Team was told the OAG would not certify the contract is “legally sufficient.” It is at least the seventh delay for......
Prince George's County Sep 5, 2023

Video shows Prince George's officer getting into backseat of police cruiser with woman

Prince George’s County police are investigating a video that appears to show an officer embracing a woman before getting into the back of his police cruiser with her.
Crime and Courts Aug 31, 2023

‘Not enough (officers) to catch the ones we don't get': DUI arrests down as deaths rise

Across Virginia, 157 agencies are taking part in a crackdown to reverse yet another increase in DUI-related fatalities, but the fight against drunken driving has slowed in recent years.
FBI Sep 1, 2023

New FBI headquarters announcement expected soon: Sources

A decision over the future FBI headquarters could be announced in coming weeks, the News4 I-Team has learned, capping off years of discussions over the fate of the dilapidated J. Edgar Hoover building in downtown D.C.
COVID-19 Aug 29, 2023

How Maryland helps lead the fight against COVID-relief fraud

The U.S. Justice Department announced last week hundreds of people have been charged with the theft of more than $830 million in COVID-19 emergency aid, and Maryland was one of the states leading that nationwide investigation. The wrongdoers were identified and prosecuted with the help of multiagency strike forces operating out of U.S. attorney’s o...
school safety Aug 28, 2023

Schools using AI to prevent gun violence

As students return to the classroom around the D.C. region this year, safety is top of mind. “As a principal, the first thing you think of every day is keeping the students safe. And the parents, when they send the students to school, they trust that you and the staff will keep everyone safe every day,” said Bull Run...
COVID-19 Aug 24, 2023

Auditor says millions in DC COVID money spent ‘outside the law' but does not find waste

D.C. spent its initial $470 million in COVID-19 aid without necessary approval from D.C. Council, the city’s auditor said in a report released Thursday. However, other city officials argue that approval was not needed. “The initial action of just saying to the executive whatever you want is fine is something we found in other audits, earlier audits...
COVID-19 Aug 24, 2023

371 defendants charged in COVID-19 relief fraud totaling $836M

The U.S. Department of Justice is working to recover hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars in stolen COVID-19 relief funds. Investigative Reporter Tracee Wilkins looks at the incredible numbers.
News4 I-Team Aug 23, 2023

‘I was very scared': OPM backlog has some federal retirees, survivors waiting months for benefits

After her husband passed away last October, Diana Kimberlin says she knew it would take some time for her to receive the survivor benefits he signed up for while working for the federal government. But Kimberlin said she never imagined the process through the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) would take longer than four months, forcing her to de...
News4 I-Team Aug 21, 2023

New inspector general for Prince George's County discusses policing reform

“Nobody likes bad officers. Bad officers make it really hard for good officers,” said Anthony Bennet, new IG for Prince George’s County. News4’s Tracee Wilkins reports.
News4 I-Team Aug 16, 2023

‘They literally beat me for 2 minutes': Firefighters say assaults against them on the rise

D.C. firefighter Myisha Richards always considered herself one of “the good guys,” but as she continues to recover from a brutal assault, which she said came at the hands of a patient who called for help, she admitted, “I feel like a lot of things changed.” Richards and her partner were responding to a call for someone having trouble...
Aug 16, 2023

DC-area school districts facing teacher shortages

Teacher shortages are getting worse in some places, and schools are scrambling to staff up. The News4 I-Team surveyed local school districts to see how many teachers they still need.

Investigations

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