Killing Crime: A Police Cop-Out

Words such as “thorough,” “powerful,” “informative,” and “effective” were used by Peabody committee members to describe the WBBM-TV look at how crime reports in Chicago were systematically wiped off the record to make crime statistics appear lower than they really were. The Channel Two Investigative Team, headed by Pam Zekman, spent four months carefully investigating and documenting irregularities in crime reporting. When they presented the result to the public, it was in the form of a case that was well built, well documented, and forcefully developed. The Peabody Board examined the evidence, concluded that WBBM-TV had indeed rendered meritorious service and selected Killing Crime: A Police Cop-Out for Peabody recognition.