About This Project
Who We Trust
Who We Trust is an independent public accountability project documenting arrests and new criminal charges against individuals in positions of public trust — law enforcement, education, clergy, healthcare, military, and government. We believe the public has a right to know when those entrusted with authority face criminal allegations.
Our Mission
Positions of public trust carry extraordinary power over the lives of ordinary people. Teachers shape children's futures. Officers enforce the law. Clergy guide communities through their most vulnerable moments. When individuals in these roles are arrested or criminally charged, the public deserves a clear, accessible record — not buried in local news archives or scattered across court dockets.
Who We Trust exists to build and maintain that record. We document qualifying cases systematically, verify our data editorially, and publish our methodology so our work can be scrutinized and held to account.
We are not a court. We do not determine guilt. Every individual in our database is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. We document the existence of arrests and charges as matters of public record — nothing more, nothing less.
Transparency Principles
Sourcing is public and verifiable
Every case in our database is sourced from publicly available records — law enforcement press releases, court filings, or named news reporting. We do not rely on anonymous tips as a sole basis for inclusion.
Verified totals are editorial, not algorithmic
Our weekly arrest and charge totals are set through editorial review, not automated database counts. We clearly distinguish verified totals from raw record counts and label unverified periods as pending review.
Corrections are made promptly and noted
When we get something wrong — a name, a date, a charge description, or a case status — we correct it. Significant corrections to published weekly totals are noted in the relevant report.
Methodology is published and maintained
Our sourcing standards, inclusion criteria, data definitions, and counting methodology are documented in full on the Methodology page and updated when our practices change.
Allegations are not findings of guilt
An arrest or charge is an allegation. Acquittals, dismissals, and not-guilty verdicts are noted in case records. Cases may be removed from active counts when charges are dropped.
Detailed sourcing standards, inclusion criteria, data definitions, and counting methodology are documented in full.
READ METHODOLOGYContact & Tips
Send a Tip or Correction
Have a case we should know about? Found an error in our data? Use the form below to reach us. We review all submissions and respond as promptly as possible.