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Invisible Institute

@invisible.institute
4.7K followers 196 following 306 posts

A nonprofit journalism production organization on the South Side of Chicago. Home to CPDP.co, Beneath the Surface, and more.

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Invisible Institute @invisible.institute · 19/09/2026
Law professor Bennett Gershman examines New York’s “wandering cops” and highlights Invisible Institute’s National Police Index as a tool for tracking officers across departments and jurisdictions.
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Invisible Institute @invisible.institute · 16/09/2026
We’re looking for volunteers to join upcoming Beneath the Surface investigative sessions this September. Help review police misconduct records and identify patterns of gender-based violence. Sign up and learn more: airtable.com/appjP6lNZ6da...
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Invisible Institute @invisible.institute · 09/09/2026
New reporting from Unraveled Press examines Chicago’s Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability and the tensions within the city’s system of civilian police oversight. unraveledpress.com/civilian-ove...
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Invisible Institute @invisible.institute · 08/07/2026
Beneath the Surface is back. Volunteer with us to review police misconduct records, identify patterns of gender-based violence, and explore how AI can support human-led accountability. airtable.com/appjP6lNZ6da...
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Invisible Institute @invisible.institute · 08/06/2026
Illinois' "top DUI cop" led the state in DUI arrests from 2022–2024 and made more than 500 arrests during that period. A new investigation examines allegations that some arrests relied on fabricated evidence. Read more in Block Club Chicago. blockclubchicago.org/2026/05/28/s...
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Invisible Institute @invisible.institute · 04/06/2026
Recommended reading: A new analysis found no evidence that removing ShotSpotter slowed police response times or increased violent crime. Read more from WTTW News: news.wttw.com/2026/05/27/c...
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Invisible Institute @invisible.institute · 03/06/2026
Invisible Institute reporter Yohance Lacour and former investigations editor Alison Flowers have joined a lawsuit alleging that major tech companies used their voices without consent to train AI systems. Read more via Capitol News Illinois: capitolnewsillinois.com/news/tech-gi...
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Invisible Institute @invisible.institute · 02/06/2026
Check out this major legal update out of Chicago from @wttw. The family of Adam Toledo has refiled their wrongful death lawsuit against the city, this time moving the case to federal court.
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Invisible Institute @invisible.institute · 02/06/2026
A new essay by Jamie Kalven examines the delayed release of body camera footage in the 2025 shooting death of Officer Krystal Rivera and what it reveals about transparency in Chicago. Read more: invisible.institute/latestblog/j...
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Invisible Institute @invisible.institute · 01/06/2026
Eighteen Chicago residents have filed legal claims following a 2025 immigration raid in South Shore. The claims cite reporting by Invisible Institute’s Maira Khwaja and South Side Weekly documenting the operation and its aftermath. Read reporting updates here: invisible.institute/all-investig...
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Invisible Institute @invisible.institute · 21/05/2026
Recently, several Invisible Institute investigations received national and regional journalism honors, including Policing The Vulnerable, Accusation Dismissed, and the Robert Johnson investigation.
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Invisible Institute @invisible.institute · 13/05/2026
Join us tomorrow for Invisible Institute’s Spring Opening at Experimental Station. Games, food, music, and free copies of the Chicago Reader and South Side Weekly. Thursday, May 14 · 5:30–8 PM 6100 S. Blackstone Ave Free and open to all. RSVP: link in bio.
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Invisible Institute @invisible.institute · 24/04/2026
Nearly eight years after Chicago police killed Harith “Snoop” Augustus in South Shore, an appellate court has ordered a new trial in a case brought by Augustus’ family. The decision overturns the 2023 verdict that ruled in favor of the officers.
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Invisible Institute @invisible.institute · 23/04/2026
Invisible Institute and @thepulp.org filed a lawsuit in Montana seeking access to police employment data. The case challenges a policy that blocks information used to identify “wandering officers.”
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Invisible Institute @invisible.institute · 07/04/2026
We’re hiring a Part-Time Volunteer Coordinator @ Invisible Institute Support Beneath the Surface — a project connecting community knowledge + data journalism to investigate police abuse $45.40/hr · up to 20 hrs/week Apply: invisible.institute/jobs
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Invisible Institute @invisible.institute · 31/03/2026
The National Police Index is now live, bringing together police employment records from 24 states and makes it possible to track how officers move between departments, helping surface patterns of officers carrying misconduct across jurisdictions and strengthening public access to accountability.
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Invisible Institute @invisible.institute · 20/03/2026
Originally published in 2002, On The Inside Looking Out documents the final days of Stateway Gardens before demolition. From the seventeenth floor of 3517–19 South Federal—known as “The Kingdom”—residents could see across the city.
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Invisible Institute @invisible.institute · 19/03/2026
The National Police Index lets you search officers in 24 states by name, agency, and more. It expands public access to track movement between departments, identify hiring patterns, and access misconduct records. Start searching here: national.cpdp.co/
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Sam Stecklow @samstecklow.bsky.social · 12/03/2026
Excited to talk about using @invisible.institute’s National Police Index tool and accessing police misconduct and employment history data in the Pacific Northwest with my colleague Maheen Khan and @wilsonc.bsky.social of @investigatewest.bsky.social later today. Registrations are still open:
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The Marshall Project @themarshallproject.org · 12/03/2026
The Marshall Project found more than 70,000 cases referred to law enforcement over allegations of substance use during pregnancy — and that’s a significant undercount.
themarshallproject.org
Tens of Thousands of Mothers Were Flagged to Police Over Flawed Drug Tests at Childbirth
The Marshall Project found more than 70,000 cases referred to law enforcement over allegations of substance use during pregnancy — and that’s a significant undercount.
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Invisible Institute @invisible.institute · 04/03/2026
This week, we officially launched a major update to the National Police Index — a tool built to help communities, journalists, attorneys, and researchers track officers as they move between agencies. Visit the new NPI website here: national.cpdp.co
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Invisible Institute @invisible.institute · 03/03/2026
The National Police Index’s brand new website provides unprecedented public access to police employment records from across the United States and allows users to track law enforcement employment records across 24 states — searchable by officer name, agency, and more. national.cpdp.co/
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MuckRock @muckrock.com · 26/02/2026
Maggie also interviewed Jamie Kalven, the founder of the Pulitzer Prize-winning @invisible.institute on how AI can be used to analyze data received through FOIA and hopes for the future of the transparency landscape. www.muckrock.com/news/archive...
muckrock.com
Requester’s Voice: The Invisible Institute’s Jamie Kalven
In this conversation, we discuss Kalven’s landmark public records win in Kalven v. City of Chicago (2014), how AI can be used to analyze data received through FOIA and hopes for the future of the tran...
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Human Rights Data Analysis Group @hrdag.org · 27/02/2026
Check out Beneath the Surface, a data science project that investigates the intersections of gender-based violence and policing, created by @invisible.institute with support from HRDAG. www.btsurface.com
btsurface.com
Beneath the Surface
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Invisible Institute @invisible.institute · 24/02/2026
Join us and @investigatewest.bsky.social on March 12 to learn how to find police employment and misconduct data in Idaho, Oregon and Washington — and how to use it in real accountability reporting. Register here: us06web.zoom.us/meeting/regi...
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Invisible Institute @invisible.institute · 13/02/2026
Join our team! The Invisible Institute is hiring an investigative reporter to join our team and work alongside our staff to report on police abuse, state violence, and official secrecy in Chicago and beyond. Apply by Feb. 22nd! invisible.institute/jobs
invisible.institute
The Invisible Institute is hiring for a full-time Investigative Reporter — Invisible Institute
The Invisible Institute is hiring an investigative reporter to join our team and work alongside our staff to report on police abuse, state violence, and official secrecy in Chicago and beyond.
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Sam Stecklow @samstecklow.bsky.social · 17/02/2026
NEW: After @investigatewest.bsky.social used records from the IDOC & POST Council to report on sexual abuse in Idaho prisons, and @invisible.institute published police employment history data in the state, authorities are now changing policies to conceal both sources of information from the public.
investigatewest.org
Idaho won’t let public see if a cop was fired or resigned
State agencies will no longer release information about whether an officer retired, resigned or was fired
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investigatewest.bsky.social @investigatewest.bsky.social · 17/02/2026
Idaho’s prison system will no longer release information about whether an officer retired, resigned or was fired. It comes after we used those records to expose alleged sexual misconduct by dozens of prison guards. w/ the @invisible.institute - www.investigatewest.org/idaho-record...
investigatewest.org
Idaho won’t let public see if a cop was fired or resigned
State agencies will no longer release information about whether an officer retired, resigned or was fired
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Invisible Institute @invisible.institute · 13/02/2026
Join our team! The Invisible Institute is hiring an investigative reporter to join our team and work alongside our staff to report on police abuse, state violence, and official secrecy in Chicago and beyond. Apply by Feb. 22nd! invisible.institute/jobs
invisible.institute
The Invisible Institute is hiring for a full-time Investigative Reporter — Invisible Institute
The Invisible Institute is hiring an investigative reporter to join our team and work alongside our staff to report on police abuse, state violence, and official secrecy in Chicago and beyond.
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Invisible Institute @invisible.institute · 10/02/2026
Trina Reynolds-Tyler, our data director, reflects on how we can use AI tools to conduct more in-depth investigations. medium.com/patrick-j-mc...
medium.com
Trina Reynolds-Tyler is Holding Power to Account with AI
Written by Yolanda Botti-Lodovico
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Invisible Institute @invisible.institute · 10/02/2026
Join our team! The Invisible Institute is hiring an investigative reporter to join our team and work alongside our staff to report on police abuse, state violence, and official secrecy in Chicago and beyond. Apply by Feb. 15th! invisible.institute/jobs
invisible.institute
The Invisible Institute is hiring for a full-time Investigative Reporter — Invisible Institute
The Invisible Institute is hiring an investigative reporter to join our team and work alongside our staff to report on police abuse, state violence, and official secrecy in Chicago and beyond.
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Invisible Institute @invisible.institute · 04/02/2026
Join our team! The Invisible Institute is hiring an investigative reporter to join our team and work alongside our staff to report on police abuse, state violence, and official secrecy in Chicago and beyond. Apply by Feb. 15th! invisible.institute/jobs
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Invisible Institute @invisible.institute · 04/02/2026
Join our team! The Invisible Institute is hiring an investigative reporter to join our team and work alongside our staff to report on police abuse, state violence, and official secrecy in Chicago and beyond. Apply by Feb. 15th! invisible.institute/jobs
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The TRiiBE @thetriibe.com · 30/01/2026
"These arrests represent an unprecedented assault on the free press and the constitutional rights that protect journalists reporting on community demonstrations and actions by federal law enforcement," NABJ Chicago's statement reads. thetriibe.com/2026/01/jour...
thetriibe.com
NABJ Chicago calls for the immediate release of journalists Don Lemon and Georgia Fort arrested after filming Minnesota church protest • The TRiiBE
Journalism organizations condemn the arrests of Don Lemon and Georgia Fort as vindictive attacks on press freedom.
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Invisible Institute @invisible.institute · 16/01/2026
Join our team! The Invisible Institute is hiring an investigative reporter to join our team and work alongside our staff to report on police abuse, state violence, and official secrecy in Chicago and beyond. Apply by Feb. 15th!
invisible.institute
The Invisible Institute is hiring for a full-time Investigative Reporter — Invisible Institute
The Invisible Institute is hiring an investigative reporter to join our team and work alongside our staff to report on police abuse, state violence, and official secrecy in Chicago and beyond.
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ProPublica @propublica.org · 29/12/2025
One officer was accused of spreading a nude photo of a woman he knew. Another was found responsible for acts of domestic violence and sexual assault. In spite of their disciplinary records, the Chicago Police Department promoted both of them. With @invisible.institute
propublica.org
Chicago Promoted Two Police Officers After Investigators Found They Engaged in Sexual Misconduct
The Chicago Police Department’s promotions system allows officers’ disciplinary records to be ignored. Despite years of reform efforts, nothing has changed.
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The Appeal @theappeal.org · 06/01/2026
New in partnership with @invisible.institute and @phoenixnewtimes.com: Scotty Bach left the Seattle Police Department after an investigation found that he had attended Trump's rally at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Phoenix hired him anyway: theappeal.org/phoenix-poli...
theappeal.org
Seattle Investigated a Cop for Attending Trump’s Rally on Jan. 6. Phoenix Hired Him.
Exposing the harms of the criminal legal system and elevating solutions that keep all people safe.
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Sam Stecklow @samstecklow.bsky.social · 06/01/2026
In the first of three stories, @yanak.bsky.social and I report on how self-imposed pressures on the Phoenix PD pushed officials to hire increasing amounts of "lateral transfer" officers from other departments — or other states. @invisible.institute + @theappeal.org + @phoenixnewtimes.com
phoenixnewtimes.com
He was at Jan. 6. The Phoenix Police Department hired him anyway
Scotty Bach was a Seattle cop when he went to the "Stop the Steal" rally in D.C. Now he carries a badge in Phoenix.
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Invisible Institute @invisible.institute · 07/01/2026
Bach is one of six Seattle police officers whom the Seattle Police Department investigated for their presence at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. bit.ly/phoenixpolice
bit.ly
He was at Jan. 6. The Phoenix Police Department hired him anyway
Scotty Bach was a Seattle cop when he went to the "Stop the Steal" rally in D.C. Now he carries a badge in Phoenix.
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Invisible Institute @invisible.institute · 11/12/2025
For five years—from January, 1994 to December, 1998—a group of citizens gathered on the corner of 35th and State at twilight on the first Sunday of each month to read the names of those lost to violence on the South Side. Read more here: viewfromtheground.com/featured-pos...
viewfromtheground.com
The Vigil Against Violence — View from the Ground
For five years—from January, 1994 to December, 1998—a group of citizens gathered on the corner of 35th and State at twilight on the first Sunday of each month to read the names of those lost to violen...
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Invisible Institute @invisible.institute · 04/12/2025
NEW: Two Chicago police officers were investigated for sexual misconduct — then promoted. It wasn’t an oversight. Despite a decades-long reform effort, the Chicago Police Department’s promotions system allows for disciplinary records to be ignored. www.propublica.org/article/chic...
propublica.org
Chicago Promoted Two Police Officers After Investigators Found They Engaged in Sexual Misconduct
The Chicago Police Department’s promotions system allows officers’ disciplinary records to be ignored. Despite years of reform efforts, nothing has changed.
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María Inés Zamudio @mizamudio.bsky.social · 04/12/2025
My latest investigation for @invisible.institute @propublica.org @chicago.suntimes.com
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Invisible Institute @invisible.institute · 03/12/2025
Ten years ago this month, dashcam footage was released showing Laquan McDonald being shot to death by a police officer. A decade after their historic victory, the key players recount how they helped bring the transformative video to light.
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The TRiiBE @thetriibe.com · 19/11/2025
This investigation was co-produced by @blockclubchi.bsky.social , Cicero Independiente, the Investigative Project on Race and Equity, @invisible.institute, @southsideweekly.bsky.social, and @thetriibe.com. thetriibe.com/2025/11/feds...
thetriibe.com
Feds used chemical agents dozens of times in Chicago • The TRiiBE
An investigation by reporters from six newsrooms found that agents used chemical irritants nearly 50 times during Operation Midway Blitz.
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Alma Campos @almacampos.bsky.social · 19/11/2025
We just published a cross-newsroom investigation into the use of tear gas and pepper spray during Operation Midway Blitz. Reporters, photographers, and editors from across Chicago reviewed dozens of videos to build a verified record of how these weapons were used in our neighborhoods.
southsideweekly.com
Feds Used Chemical Agents Dozens of Times in Chicago—Even After Judge Said To Stop
An investigation by reporters from six newsrooms found that agents used chemical irritants nearly 50 times during Operation Midway Blitz.
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Investigative Project on Race and Equity @raceandequityproject.org · 19/11/2025
An investigation by a group of Chicago-area newsrooms and independent journalists found that federal agents used tear gas and pepper spray at least 15 times in Brighton Park on Oct. 4 — more than the Chicago Police Department has used all year. Read the full story here: tinyurl.com/9avc2xdf
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Invisible Institute @invisible.institute · 19/11/2025
An investigation by a group of Chicago-area newsrooms and found that federal agents used chemical weapons on protesters at least 49 times across 18 incidents across Chicago and the suburbs since Oct. 1. Read: bit.ly/fedsteargas
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Invisible Institute @invisible.institute · 17/11/2025
Join us on Thursday, November 20th from 6:30 - 8:30pm for our Annual Supporters Convening at the Chicago Athletic Association. The event is free and all are welcome! Register here: invisible.institute/events
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Invisible Institute @invisible.institute · 14/11/2025
Join us on Thursday, November 20th from 6:30 - 8:30pm for our Annual Supporters Convening at the Chicago Athletic Association. The event is free and all are welcome! Register here: invisible.institute/events
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Invisible Institute @invisible.institute · 07/11/2025
Our longtime collaborator Sarah Conway covered Chicago’s ongoing resistance to ICE for @nymag.com. Read the story here: nymag.com/intelligencer/article/chicago-resistance-against-trump-and-ice.html
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