Police Officers

Does a photo circulating on social media show "Rohondra Williams," the New York probation officer purportedly assigned to Donald Trump's case? No, that's not true on both counts: The woman in the photo is not named Rohondra Williams and she is not a New York probation officer. The photo shows Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department Cmdr. Nikole Pilkington. That department issued…

Does an Instagram image that shows police forcibly leading away an angry Donald Trump accurately represent what happened after his May 30, 2024, conviction on 34 felony counts? No, that's not true: This is an AI-generated image that surfaced on social media after a New York City jury found Trump guilty of concealing hush-money payments. A tool for detecting AI-generated…

Was former D.C. police officer Michael Fanone, who responded to the January 6, 2021, insurrection, a young Iranian hired during the Clinton era? No, that's not true: Fanone is not an Iranian national, He was born in Washington, D.C., and raised in Alexandria, Virginia. He graduated from Ballou High School in Washington. Fanone initially began working for the U.S. Capitol…

Does a video show French prisoners celebrating the killing of two police officers in an ambush in May 2024? No, that's not true: The video predates the attack by almost a year. The ambush happened as a prisoner named Mohamed Amra rode in a prison van; a car struck the van and gunmen shot the two officers, allowing Amra to…

Does video show Irish police walking with schoolchildren in Dublin to protect them from asylum-seekers living in a tent camp? No, that's not true: The police told Lead Stories that the videos shared on social media showed a routine practice of community units helping local schools navigate field trips. The statement "categorically rejected" the connection between camps and law enforcement's…

Was an approximately 2-year-old-child, who was never reported missing, found in a town -- and are police keeping the child safe while looking for the child's guardian? No, that's not true: While this situation may have occurred somewhere at some point in time, posts circulating on Facebook in May 2024 are part of a scam and are not true. The…

Does a video show pro-Palestinian protesters at Harvard University replacing the U.S. flag with a Palestinian flag at a university building? No, that's not true: The Palestinian flags were raised when U.S. flags were not flying at the building. The Palestinian flags were removed by campus officials shortly after they were raised by protesters. The claim appeared in a post…

Does a photo show a pro-Palestine protester in the United States defiantly using an officer's riot shield as a mirror as she applies her lip gloss? No, that's not true: This photo's authentic caption says it shows a protester in Tbilisi, Georgia. A different photo from a Reuters photographer covering the April 16, 2024, demonstrations in Tbilisi against a proposed…

Do photos circulating on social media show a catalytic-converter thief caught in the act in Saint Joseph, Missouri? No, that's not true: These photos were taken in Oldham, on the outskirts of Manchester, England. A Facebook account that tries to recover stolen vehicles in the United Kingdom first posted the photos in 2020 to identify people allegedly stealing catalytic converters…

Was the wife of a "White Hat officer" found dead under suspicious circumstances in North Carolina? No, that's not true: This claim appeared on a website that publishes fabricated content. There is also no credible evidence to substantiate this claim. The claim appeared in an article published by Real Raw News on March 25, 2024, titled "White Hat Officer's Wife…