A real life Training Day: Nearly 200 people were wrongfully convicted because of a corrupt cop

At some point in the early 2000s, Chicago police Sgt. Ronald Watts and a group of cops began charging people in and around a now demolished housing project with crimes they did not commit. Even faking evidence of gun and drug crimes. They did this for about a decade. Since 2016, Chicago area prosecutors have moved to dismiss at least 226 convictions all tied to Watts. That’s the largest series of exonerations in that city’s history. But what's justice and what happens to Watts. 5 Things Sunday host James Brown discusses the scale of the problem with USA TODAY Criminal Justice Reporter Grace Hauck, the history of Chicago's police corruption with The Exoneration Project's Sean Star and the impact of of Watts' actions with Shawntell Nile, the sister of the late JaJuan Nile. JaJuan Nile did time in prison after he was wrongfully convicted of cocaine possession. A corrupt Chicago cop destroyed hundreds of lives. Now victims want justice. Grace's twitter James Brown's twitter James Brown's past episodes Learn more about the exoneration project here If you like the show, write us a review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you're listening. And do me a favor, share it with a friend. What do you think of this show? Email me at [email protected] or leave me a message at 585-484-0339. We might have you on the show. Episode Transcript available here Also available at art19.com/shows/5-Things