Vernal Coleman
I’m a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter based in Chicago who writes about, among other things, law enforcement and veterans’ issues.
Need to Get in Touch?
If you have a story to tell, I have an ear for you — especially if you can shed light on how policies enacted in Washington are harming people in the Chicago area. If you know of or are the victim of an injustice, I want to hear from you.
What I Cover
I currently cover the Midwest, focusing on Chicago and on how policies adopted by the Trump administration are affecting people, businesses and the government. I’m interested in law enforcement, civil rights and veterans affairs.
My Background
I’ve been with ProPublica’s Midwest bureau since 2020, and I’ve been a reporter for nearly 20 years. In this job, I’ve written stories on a range of topics, everything from failing hospitals to lax oversight of the gun industry.
I’m based in Chicago, but I’m on the lookout for stories anywhere in the Midwest. The ripples of the policies enacted in Washington, D.C., by the second Trump administration are far-reaching and will affect people wherever they might live. So we will go wherever the story takes us.
Before ProPublica, I worked for several news publications, with stints from Seattle to Newark, New Jersey. While working for The Seattle Times, I covered the city’s homelessness crisis and other issues closely tied to it, like drug abuse and housing, and the local government’s attempts to address them.
I later joined The Boston Globe’s Quick Strike investigative team. In 2021, we won the Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Reporting for a series that exposed systematic failures by state and local governments to share information that could have kept dangerous drivers off the road.
Medical Care and Politics Go Hand in Hand at a Chicago Safety Net Hospital
Under the leadership of CEO Tim Egan, Chicago’s Roseland Community Hospital has awarded business to his friends and acquaintances, employees have donated to his political funds and he has appeared in a campaign ad for the state’s comptroller.
Even When a Cop Is Killed With an Illegally Purchased Weapon, the Gun Store’s Name Is Kept Secret
A 2003 law pushed by the gun industry limits the information shared by federal agents and shields gun shops from public scrutiny, but ProPublica was able to identify the store that sold the gun used in the shooting of a Chicago police officer.
Inside the Notorious Gun Shop Linked to Hundreds of Chicago Guns
The story of one Indiana store demonstrates how the more than 60,000 gun retailers in America have little financial incentive to say no to questionable buyers and face limited penalties for failing to prevent illegal transactions.
The Office That Investigates Disparities in Veterans’ Care Is Being “Liquidated”
The closure effectively hobbles the VA’s efforts to investigate and eliminate long-standing racial inequities that the department itself has acknowledged. “The consequences will be dire, wide-reaching and deadly,” an advocate for Black veterans said.
Under Pressure From Trump, ICE Is Pushing Legal Boundaries
Confrontations with judges are grabbing attention, but more quietly a pattern of questionable arrests shows the extent to which the administration is willing to test norms and laws.
Amid Increasing Domestic Violence, Illinois Struggles to Review Fatalities
Four years after the state called for a network of domestic violence review panels, only seven counties have joined committees. Glaringly absent from the program: Cook County, home to Chicago and about 40% of the state’s population.
In Five Years, Chicago Has Barely Made Progress on Its Court-Ordered Police Reforms. Here’s Why.
Chicago police agreed to judicial oversight in 2019. Since then, a series of mayors and police chiefs let efforts languish and no one in a position of oversight has pushed forcefully to keep the process on track, WTTW News and ProPublica found.
Historic Gun Suit Survives Serious Legal Threat Engineered by Indiana Republicans
A judge ruled that a law passed by Indiana’s GOP supermajority that tried to retroactively prevent cities from suing gun manufacturers goes too far. The decision allows one city’s decadeslong suit against gunmakers to continue.
Federal Law Thwarted Chicago’s Attempt to Sue Gun-Makers. But Now It Has a New Strategy.
Taking advantage of a new state law, Chicago's lawsuit accuses Glock of manufacturing pistols with designs that allow modification and failing to make changes that would protect the public.
Inside the Historic Suit That the Gun Industry and Republicans Are on the Verge of Killing
For 25 years, gunmakers have repeatedly tried to end one city’s lawsuit over illegal gun sales. Meanwhile, illicit purchases of firearms continued at an unrelenting and hazardous pace.
Indiana Lawmakers Trying to Kill Historic Suit Seeking Gun Industry Accountability
Gary, Indiana’s long-running lawsuit against the world’s largest gunmakers is jeopardized by a bill that would allow only the state to sue.
Deaths Linked to Neglect, Error Raise Concerns About Quality of Care at This Safety Net Hospital
Roseland Community Hospital promises the “best quality care” for Chicago’s South Side, but a whistleblower complaint and a rash of fatalities, lawsuits and negative federal inspection reports suggest the situation had become dire during COVID-19.
The State Took His Kids Three Times. And Three Times It Gave Them Back.
In Southern Illinois, many families suspected of neglect cycle through the child welfare system. Too often they don’t get the help they need.
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