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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NPR correspondents and Sarah Mervosh of the Dallas Morning News talk about the latest from Dallas, U.S. law enforcement and politics, and Friday's news conference by the Dallas police chief and mayor.
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Five police officers were shot and killed Thursday night in Dallas after 2 snipers opened fire during what had been a peaceful demonstration. How are other departments acting to the news.
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Future Shock by Alvin Toffler was a huge sensation when it was published in 1970. The book perfectly captured the angst of that time and prepared society for more changes to come.
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American cities pay out hundreds of millions a year to settle police misconduct complaints and lawsuits. An advocacy group in Minneapolis wants to require cops to pay for their own insurance. -
A Justice Department study indicates the effect — a breakdown in trust between minority communities and police — may play a role in the rising murder rate in many urban areas.
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New Mexico passed a sweeping overhaul of civil asset forfeiture. Legislators say some cities' budgets are so dependent on seized assets that they disregarding the law.
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The state of Louisiana is close to extending hate crime protection to police officers and other emergency responders. The so-called "Blue Lives Matter" bill is a response to a growing sentiment among many in law enforcement that they are under attack.
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What happens when law enforcement is frustrated by encryption that's run by private citizens? In one Tor volunteer's case, they showed up with a warrant and asked for computer passwords. -
The FBI's efforts to unlock the San Bernardino iPhone is one fight in a larger global conflict: Firms face varying laws for police cooperation and say a lack of legal standards is creating a crisis. -
There's a showdown coming between Apple and the FBI over privacy rights. But this case may be less about privacy than it is about the tech industry's willingness to defy the government.
