Richard A. Webster (Verite News)
Before coming to Verite News, Richard A. Webster spent the past two and a half years as a member of ProPublica’s Local Reporting Network. He investigated allegations of abuse against the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office, and claims of racial and economic inequities within Louisiana’s Road Home recovery program following Hurricane Katrina.
Webster previously was a member of The Times-Picayune’s investigative team, reporting on numerous special projects including “The Children of Central City,” an in-depth look at childhood trauma through the lens of a youth football team; “A Fragile State,” a multi-part series on Louisiana’s mental health care system; and “Dying at OPP,” which examined the deaths of inmates in Orleans Parish Prison.
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Janice Parker has witnessed the failing medical care at Angola, the state's largest prison, on her frequent visits to see her paralyzed son. Laws passed at the behest of Gov. Jeff Landry threaten to further strain that system. -
Between 2019 and 2022, the number of people granted parole by the Louisiana Board of Pardons and Committee fell 59%, according to a report by the Prison Policy Initiative. -
The Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office has been unlawfully destroying its deputies’ disciplinary records for at least 10 years, according to records provided by state officials responsible for overseeing the retention of records by state, parish and local agencies. -
Police can arrest people for “cover charges,” like resisting arrest, tojustify their use of excessive force and shield themselves fromliability. In Jefferson Parish, 73% of the time someone is arrested on a“cover charge” alone, they’re Black. -
In Louisiana, law enforcement agencies have been accused of targeting Hispanic drivers in traffic stops and identifying them as white on tickets. Misidentification makes it impossible to track racial bias, experts say. -
Louisiana deputy who slammed a Black woman on the pavement was named in multiple suits, records showJulio Alvarado, a Jefferson Parish deputy who was seen on video violently dragging a woman by the hair, has been named in nine federal civil rights lawsuits, all involving the use of excessive force. This is the most of any deputy currently employed. -
Black residents of Louisiana’s Jefferson Parish have long accused the Sheriff’s Office of targeting them. A new video, which shows a deputy slamming a Black woman’s head into the ground, raises more questions. -
Despite years of complaints against the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office, the DOJ has not stepped in to help. Following our investigation, the ACLU renews the call to action and has asked the DOJ to launch an investigation. -
After Hurricane Ida, elected officials, local law enforcement, the Louisiana National Guard, religious groups and volunteers have attempted to meet the immediate needs — ice, water, food and fuel — of those in Louisiana's bayou communities, but housing remains foremost. -
The storm-related death toll from Hurricane Ida has risen to 10, according to numbers released Friday by the Louisiana Department of Health.
