Thread by @propublica

1/ Nimeron Mike had been convicted of:

-assault
-domestic violence
-vehicle theft
-groping a woman
-hindering prosecution
-reckless driving
-drunken driving
-choking a woman unconscious in an attempted sexual assault.

Then, he was hired as a cop…propub.li/2Y783ND

2/ We found *dozens* of cops with criminal records in rural Alaska communities.

In Stebbins, every single cop has been convicted of domestic abuse — including the chief.

New, from our investigation with @adndotcom 👉🏽 propub.li/2Z5iBOr

3/ When we talked to him, even Mike was surprised he was hired.

“My record, I thought I had no chance of being a cop.”

He was wrong. On the same day he filled out the application, he got a policeman’s cellphone to answer calls for help.

“It’s that easy?”

4/ In village after village, we found cops convicted of crimes. More than 20 communities, to be exact.

We asked a bunch of local officials about it and heard this constantly: It’s either hire somebody with a criminal record, or have no police at all. propub.li/30Tp9Ar

5/ More than a 3rd of communities are stuck with 2nd option..

Our May investigation found countless communities forced to handle dangerous situations w/ no cops.

Cops that do exist have no resources and little backup.

Pay is low and hours long.. propub.li/2O9gKqN

6/ So communities take what they can get. Louise Martin lives in Stebbins, the village with seven criminal cops.

“They need a trooper in town.” But, she said the city cops “hide behind their badge and harass people and drink on the job.”

Here’s a really shocking example 👇🏽👇🏽

7/ In 2001, a cop with a criminal record shot the mayor in the face, served time in prison, returned to Stebbins.

He was rehired. propub.li/2Y783ND

8/ Another:

Harold Kitsick Jr. has worked on & off as a cop despite conviction for spitting in the face of an officer in nearby town.

Kitsick denied threatening the officer, but admitted to attacking him.

“I assaulted him, I hit him. I spit on him and kicked him. That was it.”

9/ Stebbins — the village with seven criminal cops — survived a generation of monstrous sexual abuse by a Catholic priest and church volunteers.

People here already feel that crimes aren’t solved, esp with growing awareness of missing and murdered indigenous women.

10/ Sexual violence rates in rural Alaska are monumentally higher than the national and even state average.

Those numbers, even though obstacles to reporting are many and paths to accountability are few.

11/ Folks who report sexual assaults in rural AK sometimes have to fly hundreds of miles, *without showering,* to do a rape kit.

12/ When a case relies on an arrest by an untrained cop who has a criminal record, prosecutors sometimes do not want to put that person in front of a jury and instead might drop or reduce felony charges.

13/ @GovDunleavy promised a “war on criminals.”

What did he say when we asked about crime rates & criminal cops?

He offered no concrete ideas and promised to talk to “stakeholders.”

We already talked to stakeholders, Governor. We have been for months.

14/ “Our troopers regularly say that, while tomorrow they might have to arrest a (village police officer) or (tribal police officer), today they are critical”

The AK commissioner for public safety said that.👆

The agency regulating AK police suspended efforts to solve the mess.

15/ So here we are.

@adndotcom has been reporting about this problem for years. We’re proud to join them and are seeking more help to understand the stories and mechanisms behind this colossal failure. propub.li/2JKZunR

16/ Keep up with our investigations..

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