Public Safety Reporter The Indianapolis Star
Ryan Martin covers police, prosecutors and criminal courts for The Indianapolis Star. He’s also a trained data journalist whose criminal justice databases power his daily beat reporting. He co-bylined a four-part investigation titled Code of Silence, which revealed how the city’s record-setting bloodshed is fueled, in part, by the fears of witnesses. The series prompted the city to create a $300,000 witness protection fund and earned recognition from IRE as a 2017 Tom Renner Award finalist and from Indiana SPJ as story of the year.
Ryan holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Missouri School of Journalism and an MBA from Washington University’s Olin Business School. He's currently involved in a year-long project examining the causes of record violence in Indianapolis.
While shocking crimes may carry headlines, the crime beat encompasses so much than murder mysteries and whodunnit stories. This edition explores four other angles, along with tips for using crime data throughout the entire reporting cycle.