Martin Kaste
Martin Kaste is a correspondent on NPR's National Desk. He covers law enforcement and privacy. He has been focused on police and use of force since before the 2014 protests in Ferguson, and that coverage led to the creation of NPR's Criminal Justice Collaborative.
In addition to criminal justice reporting, Kaste has contributed to NPR News coverage of major world events, including the 2010 earthquake in Haiti and the 2011 uprising in Libya.
Kaste has reported on the government's warrant-less wiretapping practices as well as the data collection and analysis that go on behind the scenes in social media and other new media. His privacy reporting was cited in the U.S. Supreme Court's 2012 United States v. Jones ruling concerning GPS tracking.
Before moving to the West Coast, Kaste spent five years as NPR's reporter in South America. He covered the drug wars in Colombia, the financial meltdown in Argentina, the rise of Brazilian president Luiz Inacio "Lula" da Silva, Venezuela's Hugo Chavez, and the fall of Haiti's president Jean Bertrand Aristide. Throughout this assignment, Kaste covered the overthrow of five presidents in five years.
Prior to joining NPR in 2000, Kaste was a political reporter for Minnesota Public Radio in St. Paul for seven years.
Kaste is a graduate of Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota.
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A comic book-worthy device is the latest entry into the market for "less lethal" police weapons. The company promises safer arrests, but part of the appeal for departments may be the optics.
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Philadelphia is the latest Democratic jurisdiction to sue sellers of gun parts that are easily turned into untraceable "ghost guns." Similar recent attempts have had mixed results.
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Law enforcement has been on alert for outbursts of gun violence over the weekend and holiday, but early statistics from big cities suggest the overall murder rate may finally be going down.
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At least $200 billion in aid for small businesses may have gone to frauders, according to a new inspector general report. The Small Business Administration questions those numbers.
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Fraudsters stole billions from the Small Business Administration, via the pandemic-era "Paycheck Protection Program." On Tuesday, the SBA inspector general releases an estimate the size of the fraud
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The Office of Inspector General of the Small Business Administration has released a "landscape of fraud" report highlighting why 17% of PPP and other loans appear bogus. -
The Justice Department released its investigation into the Minneapolis Police Department, with findings that include racial bias and unnecessary use of force.
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The Justice Department, city and police will begin negotiations to set the terms of a consent decree, which will bring federal oversight to police -
Police body cameras have increased accountability for K-9 units, making it easier for defendants to claim unconstitutional searches. A federal lawsuit in Texas illustrates the new dynamic. -
American police see Uvalde as a lesson in what not to do. Trainers say police need to make sure they have the skills and emotional commitment to risk their lives to stop a killer.
