Jessica Miller: Support our one-of-a-kind police database

Dear Reader:

This past year, my colleagues and I have worked to give Utahns a more complete picture of who the police are shooting at in our state.

After spending night after night covering police protests in 2020, we felt that our community had questions about police shootings that, at the time, we couldn’t answer.

So we requested hundreds of law enforcement records, interviewed officials and watched hours of body camera footage.

We also spent time with those Utah families who are still grappling with police violence. They shared stories about their loved ones. Some told us they felt like they were still being left in the dark.

Our data reporting this year has shined a light.

We now know that Utah police shoot at racial and ethnic minorities at disproportionate rates. And we know more than 40% of police shootings this past decade involve someone in a mental health crisis.

Right now, this in-depth journalism is possible because of a grant from FRONTLINE’s Local Journalism Initiative. That funding will run out at the end of 2021, but we’ll still be here.

If you think this sort of accountability reporting is essential, consider donating to The Tribune. Scan the QR code below or click here.

Thank you,

Jessica Miller