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Phillip Hamm was on the road with a friend in Paducah, Kentucky, when he was pulled over by local police over a busted tail light. Instead of letting him go, the officer held Hamm for over an hour, during which time he forced Hamm to undergo a sobriety test, searched his person, and demanded access to his vehicle. When Hamm declined, the police brought over a canine unit and searched his car. Despite finding nothing, officers tested dollar bills from Hamm’s wallet for methamphetamine and then arrested him on felony drug charges. Police Accountability Report examines the footage of Hamm’s arrest as an example of how police routinely abuse their power to manufacture the outcomes they want. Phillip Hamm himself also joins the show to speak on his ordeal.

Studio: Stephen Janis
Post-Production: Stephen Janis, Adam Coley

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Host & Producer
Taya Graham is an award-winning investigative reporter who has covered U.S. politics, local government, and the criminal justice system. She is the host of TRNN's "Police Accountability Report," and producer and co-creator of the award-winning podcast "Truth and Reconciliation" on Baltimore's NPR affiliate WYPR. She has written extensively for a variety of publications including the Afro American Newspaper, the oldest black-owned publication in the country, and was a frequent contributor to Morgan State Radio at a historic HBCU. She has also produced two documentaries, including the feature-length film "The Friendliest Town." Although her reporting focuses on the criminal justice system and government accountability, she has provided on the ground coverage of presidential primaries and elections as well as local and state campaigns. Follow her on Twitter.

Host & Producer
Stephen Janis is an award winning investigative reporter turned documentary filmmaker. His first feature film, The Friendliest Town was distributed by Gravitas Ventures and won an award of distinction from The Impact Doc Film Festival, and a humanitarian award from The Indie Film Fest. He is the co-host and creator of The Police Accountability Report on The Real News Network, which has received more than 10,000,000 views on YouTube. His work as a reporter has been featured on a variety of national shows including the Netflix reboot of Unsolved Mysteries, Dead of Night on Investigation Discovery Channel, Relentless on NBC, and Sins of the City on TV One.

He has co-authored several books on policing, corruption, and the root causes of violence including Why Do We Kill: The Pathology of Murder in Baltimore and You Can’t Stop Murder: Truths about Policing in Baltimore and Beyond. He is also the co-host of the true crime podcast Land of the Unsolved. Prior to joining The Real News, Janis won three Capital Emmys for investigative series working as an investigative producer for WBFF. Follow him on Twitter.