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.
-
The failed ballot measure proposed a new Department of Public Safety that would emphasize a public health approach to policing. -
Almost a year after identity thieves made off with tens of billions of dollars in COVID-19 unemployment relief, the system remains vulnerable. And scammers are coming to light now during tax time.
-
There's growing concern about anti-Asian bias crimes since the pandemic started. Horrific cases of violence have shaken the community, but national statistics don't yet show a clear trend.
-
As experts compile last year's data for gun buying and shooting, the debate grows over whether the two are connected. -
Preliminary statistics for 2020 show a jump in the number of arson cases. As the pandemic continues, cities are taking measures to protect vacant or under-used structures.
-
Many in law enforcement have cheered on former President Donald Trump. After his supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol, some say police expressions of that support threaten police legitimacy. -
Police departments say they're looking for signs of political extremism in their ranks following the attack on the U.S. Capitol by Trump supporters.
-
Some officers are being investigated over involvement at the protests, while others fought off protesters who once supported them.
-
Police departments are looking into whether some of their off-duty officers participated in the U.S. Capitol riot, adding to growing unease over the embrace of Trumpism by American law enforcement.
-
In an exclusive interview with NPR, the top federal prosecutor for the District of Columbia describes how investigators are building their case.
