Dig

Hey Dig listeners. It’s been a while, we know. But we’ve been working on some new stories and will be adding them here when they’re ready. Up first, our reporter Jess Clark has been following the Jefferson County Public Schools system for a while — and when the school district’s board of education voted earlier this year to cut bus service for dozens of magnet schools, Jess started talking to families. She wanted to know how this huge decision would affect them — would they have to change schools — would they miss out on opportunities?

Transcribed - Published: 6 August 2024

In July 2022, floods killed 45 people and caused more than a billion dollars of damage in eastern Kentucky. Then, the people who were supposed to help clean up actually made things worse for a lot of survivors. There’s big money in disaster recovery. In “Dirty Business,” we investigate the expensive, messy work of cleaning up after 2022’s catastrophic flooding.

Transcribed - Published: 14 September 2023

City leadership makes a very familiar set of promises. Is it too late?

Transcribed - Published: 18 October 2021

Response to protests in the summer of 2020 show how far LMPD had fallen from its ideals.

Transcribed - Published: 18 October 2021

Former and current LMPD officers say the job can chew up and spit out people who want to do community policing.

Transcribed - Published: 18 October 2021

A homicide spike leads Louisville away from its promises of police reform.

Transcribed - Published: 18 October 2021

In 2016, Louisville leaders promised policing focused on protection and safety. Did they deliver?

Transcribed - Published: 18 October 2021

Barbecue chef David McAtee was a staple at 26th & Broadway, and a bridge between the police and his community.

Transcribed - Published: 18 October 2021

Louisville, Ky., the city now known for the police killing of Breonna Taylor, once made ambitious promises to transform its police department and mend its relationship with the Black community. Just five years before they killed Breonna Taylor in her home, Louisville considered itself a model city for police reform. In a joint KyCIR/Newsy investigation, insiders and documents reveal the systemic barriers and choices made by city leaders and the Louisville Metro Police Department that led to its failure to meaningfully change. How did Louisville go from a national leader in policing to the face of a national movement protesting the police? Find out in the next season of Dig, coming soon.

Transcribed - Published: 6 October 2021

Jen Sainato had been waiting for this day for a long time. She’d woken up early, put on her black striped suit, and drove five hours to attend the Louisville Metro Council’s public safety committee meeting. The council had called the police to answer questions about their handling of rape cases, in the wake of our story about Jen’s case. When Jen walked into the council chamber, the police were already settled in at the front of the room: two press people, a few men in suits, and Lt. Shannon Lauder — the head of the special victims unit, who’d been called by the council to explain why her department clears so few rape cases by arrest, and so many “by exception.” The eight metro council members in attendance were seated as well, looking out at the room from their elevated seats. And in the audience sat the survivors — women who had reported a rape to the Louisville Metro Police Department. Women who were inspired by Jen’s story to come out and seek their own answers. For most of them, this hearing was as close as they would get to their day in court. Visit kydig.org and donate to support this and future seasons of Dig.

Transcribed - Published: 6 March 2020

It’s been two months since we released the first season of Dig. And a lot has changed: city leaders are calling the police department to account, and there have been some changes in Jen Sainato’s rape case that we did not see coming. Visit kydig.org and donate to support this and future seasons of Dig.

Transcribed - Published: 21 February 2020

Episode 4: In the final episode of this investigation, we learn more about Jen Sainato’s rape case - why it was closed, and how much evidence the police really had against the man she says raped her. (Note: This episode includes description of a rape and injuries sustained from a rape.) Donate to support this and future seasons of Dig.

Transcribed - Published: 5 December 2019

Episode 3: Louisville officials say rape cases are hard to prosecute. They are not wrong. But we talked with police, prosecutors and experts from around the country who told us it’s not impossible — you just have to be willing to lose a few trials. (Note: This episode includes a series of brief descriptions of sexual violence from courtroom recordings throughout the 14th and 15th minutes, and again in the 17th and 18th minutes.) Donate to support this and future seasons of Dig.

Transcribed - Published: 5 December 2019

Episode 2: Jen Sainato reported a rape to Louisville police in January 2018. In this episode, we hear about her attempts over the next two years to follow up on her case. And we ask LMPD why cases like Jen’s seem to be taken to the prosecutor’s office so early - sometimes before suspects have even been interviewed. (Note: This episode includes brief descriptions of multiple rape reports.) Donate to support this and future seasons of Dig.

Transcribed - Published: 5 December 2019

Episode 1: Jen Sainato reported a rape to Louisville police in January 2018. She didn’t feel like they believed her. Jen’s case puts a spotlight on police response to rapes, the prosecutors’ unusual role in rape cases here in Louisville, and how it feels to the people who report. (Note: There are descriptions of a rape, and audio from a police body camera on the scene of a rape investigation, throughout this episode.) Donate to support this and future seasons of Dig.

Transcribed - Published: 5 December 2019

A woman told Louisville police she was raped in January 2018. She expected them to quickly try to arrest the suspect. But an officer on the scene that night didn’t seem to believe her. The detectives weren’t convinced that a crime occurred. And a prosecutor rejected the case well before an arrest was even under consideration. In the first season of Dig, a new podcast from the Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting, we bring you the results of a yearlong look at how rape cases are investigated in Louisville. What we’ve learned: here, the police defer to prosecutors on rape cases -- and prosecutors reject the vast majority of cases presented to them. Due to this unusual relationship, most people accused of rape here will never face consequences. Most won’t be arrested or convicted. And the case will be closed anyway. Donate to support this and future seasons of Dig.

Transcribed - Published: 20 November 2019