Radley Balko

Nashville

Opinion columnist focusing on civil liberties, the drug war and the criminal justice system Education: Indiana University, BA in journalism and political science Radley Balko reports on criminal justice, the drug war and civil liberties for The Washington Post. He was previously a senior writer and investigative reporter at the Huffington Post, and a reporter and senior editor for Reason magazine. He is author of the books "Rise of the Warrior Cop: The Militarization of America's Police Forces" and "The Cadaver King and the Country Dentist: A True Story of Injustice in the American South" (co-authored with Tucker Carrington). His work has been cited by the U.S. Supreme Court, the Mississippi Supreme Court and two federal appeals courts. He also occasionally writes about the music and culture of Nashville, where he lives. Honors & Awards:

Western Publications Award for Best News Story, 2010
L.A. Press Club Journalist of the Year, 2011
First Place, Online Commentary or Blog, MD-DC-DE Press Association, 2014
The Innocence Project Journalism Award, 2015
NACDL Champion of Justice Award, 2016
Bastiat Prize for Journalism, 2017

Latest from Radley Balko

Opinion

We need community after trauma like Nashville. The pandemic has made that impossible.

The Christmas Day bombing was the latest blow in what has been a rough stretch for Nashville.

Dec 28, 2020

Opinion

I’m burning a source. Here’s why.

I’d normally avoid writing about a source in this manner, even a hostile one.

Dec 11, 2020

Opinion

Correcting the misinformation about Breonna Taylor

Daniel Cameron’s press conference may have won praise from Trump, but what he said was misleading and irresponsible.

Sep 24, 2020

Opinion

Real police reform begins with Lafayette Square

If there’s no accountability for an abuse of power caught on video, in front of hundreds of witnesses, how can we expect accountability anywhere else?

Jul 23, 2020

Opinion

Both parties’ police reform bills are underwhelming. Here’s why.

As national support for police reform grows, Congress's bills lack teeth.

Jun 24, 2020

Opinion

California DA threatens whistleblower complaint against public defender over protest blog posts

The highest-ranking law enforcement official in a California county is using the law to seek retaliation against a lower-ranking county employee.

Jun 19, 2020

Opinion

An entire Florida SWAT team resigned last week. It’s for the best.

The Hallandale Beach SWAT team’s record includes violent drug raids, racial bias, terrorized residents and killing an unarmed man. Maybe it’s better if the town no longer has one.

Jun 17, 2020

Opinion

There’s overwhelming evidence that the criminal-justice system is racist. Here’s the proof.

Even controlling for crime rates, class and income, racial bias infects every nook and cranny of our courts, prisons, jails and police stations.

Jun 10, 2020

Opinion | The rot in policing has spread beyond just 'a few bad apples'

The police crackdown on largely peaceful protests has shown that bad cops are largely protected, covered for and shielded from liability, says Radley Balko.

Jun 5, 2020

1:43

Opinion

The no-knock warrant for Breonna Taylor was illegal

She's just the latest casualty of a judicial system that refuses to protect the Fourth Amendment.

Jun 3, 2020