Americans have been forced to reckon with sexual abuse committed by teachers, clergy, coaches and others who work with children. But there has been little scrutiny of child sex crimes perpetrated by another profession children are taught to obey: law enforcement.
No one had ever tried to determine how many officers have used the power of their badges and guns to meet, groom and violate vulnerable kids. So Washington Post reporters Jessica Contrera and Jenn Abelson set out to expose a law enforcement and judicial system often geared toward protecting cops instead of children.
The result was “Abused by the Badge,” a groundbreaking, two-year investigation that had immense impact across the country. This series uncovered a largely hidden form of police misconduct, revealing systemic failures on a national scale while holding local officials and institutions to account.
With data reporter John D. Harden, The Post identified at least 1,800 police officers who were charged with crimes involving child sexual abuse from 2005 through 2022. Reporters demonstrated how authorities have enabled predators by botching background checks and investigations, giving generous plea deals to officers who admitted to raping and groping minors, and failing to stop abusive school police.
Contrera and Abelson obtained thousands of documents, including disciplinary files, forensic interviews and body-worn camera footage. When authorities blocked access to records, The Post appealed denials, found alternative sources and even filed a still-pending lawsuit.
Through letters and repeated visits, Contrera and Abelson earned the trust of frightened teenagers betrayed by the very people sworn to protect them. A 14-year-old groomed, then abused by the officer who’d taken her for a rape exam. A 15-year-old Black girl whose sexual assault report against a troubled school resource officer was dismissed. A 16-year-old who dreamed of becoming a cop, but was instead violated by one in a patrol car. A 17-year-old whose stepmother sold her for $100 to be raped by a police chief.
By bringing to light the scope of this disturbing misconduct, “Abused by the Badge” changed the course of cases and sparked reform that served the public interest.
After a Post story uncovered how predatory school police officers used their positions to sexually exploit children, the Justice Department issued new guidelines for the nation’s 20,000 school resource officers, a first-of-its-kind effort to protect students. A judge also ordered him to register as a sex offender.
In Indiana, authorities decertified a South Bend officer after The Post revealed that he had kept his police credentials for two years, despite pleading guilty to abusing a teen in his patrol car.
In West Virginia, The Post detailed how a police chief convicted of trafficking a teen had been able to postpone his sentencing 12 times. After the story was published, a judge refused to delay again and sentenced the chief to 25 years in prison.
