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Emily Elena Dugdale

Emily Elena Dugdale

Senior Reporter, Criminal Justice (she/her)

If I’m doing my job, you’ll understand how the justice system was designed to give some people the benefit of the doubt and penalize others. You’ll also understand the history and role systemic racism plays in how we are policed today.

I’ve reported from Honolulu to New York City, and from my native country, Colombia. My first year in this newsroom was spent driving to every corner of Southern California as our general assignment reporter. I’m currently collaborating with ProPublica on a series of stories on policing and justice in the Antelope Valley.

Like millions of Americans, I am an immigrant to this country. I have spent most of my life living here, and I don’t have time for the gatekeeping around who isn’t an American, a Californian, or Angeleno. My reporting aims to represent the reality of all who live, work, or do time in Southern California.

Reporting on relentless trauma is difficult, so I find peace by hiking in our region’s many mountains.

What questions do you have about criminal justice in Southern California? 
Emily Elena Dugdale covers smaller police departments around Southern California, school safety officers, jails and prisons, and juvenile justice issues. She also covers the LAPD and the L.A. Sheriff’s Department.

Stories by Emily Elena Dugdale

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