In Plain View
A review of the Facebook accounts of thousands of current and retired law enforcement officers around the U.S. — the largest database of its kind — found officers endorsing violence against Muslims, women, and criminal defendants. This project, launched in 2019, led to policy changes, internal investigations, and firings at several of the departments.
Explore the project
A review of the Facebook accounts of thousands of officers around the US — the largest database of its kind — found officers endorsing violence against Muslims, women, and criminal defendants.
EXPLORE THE DATA →
Impact
A project with impact
This award-winning project exposed racist and violent social media posts made by law enforcement officials across the country.
Learn more about our impact →
U.S. House subcommittee investigates cops tied to racist, xenophobic Facebook posts
The departments were all named in Injustice Watch’s “In Plain View” investigation into troubling social media posts by law enforcement officers.
Dallas Police discipline 13 officers over troubling Facebook posts
Thirteen Dallas police officers have been disciplined following a department investigation into their Facebook posts after they were included in the Plain View Project database of social media activity by law enforcement officers in eight locales that could endanger public trust in policing.
St. Louis Police Dept. fires two officers after troubling social media posts
The officers were among 22 active St. Louis police officers whose Facebook posts extolling violence, using dehumanizing language, or expressing bias against certain groups were included in the Plain View Project.
Additional reporting
A lawsuit against Injustice Watch tried to upend First Amendment protections. It failed.
The U.S. Supreme Court decided not to take the appeal of a Philadelphia police officer’s case, which sought to reverse the long-standing ‘actual malice’ doctrine in defamation cases against news organizations.
Federal circuit court dismisses defamation lawsuit against Injustice Watch, Plain View Project
The court ruled that a Philadelphia police officer failed to show ‘actual malice’ in the inclusion of his public Facebook comment in a database of social media posts.
Q&A: The history of imagery in Black social movements
A year after publishing In Plain View, Injustice Watch spoke with professor Leigh Raiford about the role imagery and photography play both in upholding white supremacy and in defining Black-led social movements.
Discipline disparities and racial tension persists in St. Louis Metro Police
A scathing report from a public commission on the firing of a black police captain confirmed longstanding claims that black officers in St. Louis are disciplined more harshly than their white peers.
Phoenix police chief disciplines 70 officers after review of social media posts
Phoenix Police Chief Jeri Williams announced her intention to fire, suspend, or provide supervisory coaching for 70 department police officers this week after concluding an investigation into those officers’ social media posts.
Philly judge tosses conviction after officer’s Facebook post flagged in Plain View database
A man convicted of drug dealing won a new trial in Philadelphia because of a Facebook post by the arresting officer. The case is believed to be the first criminal conviction overturned because of a post included in the Plain View Project database.
Philly cops disciplined; but city vows to do more to address Facebook posts
Philadelphia officials concluded that the Facebook posts of 191 active police officers violated department regulations after an internal affairs investigation, the city’s acting police commissioner told City Council members Tuesday. City officials, residents and activists called on the department to do more to change the culture within the Philadelphia Police Department.
More Facebook fallout: Seven Philly cops retire while investigation continues
Seven Philadelphia police officers have resigned in recent days, weeks after their posts were included in the Plain View Project database of troubling Facebook posts by police officers. Among those who retired was one supervisor whose posts were highlighted by Injustice Watch.
Thirteen Philadelphia officers face dismissal over Facebook posts
The Philadelphia police commissioner announced on Thursday the department’s intention to fire 13 officers who published offensive posts on Facebook, and to suspend several additional officers. The action was taken in response to the publication of the Plain View Project database, exposing troubling posts by officers in eight cities.
Across U.S., officials alarmed by the Facebook posts of police officers
Across the country, officials and citizens alike reacted intensely the launch of a database revealing thousands of troubling posts by law enforcement. Top prosecutors in Philadelphia and St. Louis said they are reviewing the posts, and some police groups called on departments to take action against officers whose posts were included in the database.