iPost coverage of police drowning wins award

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Reporting that showed how the Buffalo Police Department put Officer Craig Lehner in harm’s way before his drowning in 2017 has won a statewide reporting award.

The New York State Associated Press selected the story by Daniela Porat as the top investigative  story broadcast in 2018 on radio stations in mid-sized markets. The story aired on WBFO.

Porat reported that the current in the Niagara River was too swift for an inexperienced diver like Lehner and that he was not properly trained and equipped.

 

The Lehner family subsequently filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the city and police department.

Porat’s story was also selected by Investigative Post readers as the top story of 2018.

Porat left Investigative Post last July and is now a senior reporting fellow at ProPublica.