Abuse of Force

The Scripps Phoenix ABC affiliate won in the Outstanding Regional News Story: Investigative Report category for its Abuse of Force investigative series, which has prompted an FBI investigation into a local police department’s use of force.

The two stations earned excellence in journalism awards from the Society of Professional Journalists. WKBW’s award is for its investigation into child sexual abuse inside the Catholic Church in Western New York. KNXV’s award is for its investigative series inside a local Arizona police department which exposed a corrupt culture that protected officers and misled the public.

In 2017, Glendale, Ariz., police officers make a routine traffic stop. Their body cameras reveal what independent law enforcement experts call the most sadistic cases of police misconduct they’ve ever seen.