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Danielle Ohl/Spotlight PA

Danielle is an investigative reporter covering the Capitol for Spotlight PA. She previously worked at The Capital Gazette in Annapolis, where she won a Pulitzer Prize special citation with her newsroom for covering the mass shooting of her own colleagues. She worked with ProPublica’s Local Reporting Network investigating thousands of lawsuits filed by the Annapolis housing authority against tenants. With The Capital, she covered city hall, the U.S. Naval Academy and the COVID-19 pandemic. She is an avid home cook, plant mom and will gladly take pie recipes alongside news tips.

Latest by Danielle Ohl/Spotlight PA


Pa. doesn’t fund public defense. Josh Shapiro’s budget would change that.

The $10 million proposal would be the most funding the state has ever dedicated to supporting the constitutional right to counsel.
By Danielle Ohl/Spotlight PA

How some police, attorneys, and jails are trying to help Pa.’s ailing system for mentally ill people

Without a statewide solution, some local officials are finding ways to prevent people unfit to stand trial from getting trapped in the criminal justice system.
By Danielle Ohl/Spotlight PA

Updated: 2022-10-31 18:27:00

Missing traffic stop data from Pa. State Police undercut 2021 analysis for racial disparities

More than 85% of Pennsylvania State Police stations failed to collect demographic data for all traffic stops last year.

By Danielle Ohl/Spotlight PA

Pennsylvania election 2022: Where Doug Mastriano, Josh Shapiro stand on crime, justice issues

The top candidates for Pennsylvania governor have different stances on increasing opportunities for parole, the use of cash bail, and more.
By Danielle Ohl/Spotlight PA

Racial breakdown of Pa. State Police traffic stops delayed by data problems, officials say

Pennsylvania State Police will not release an analysis on the racial breakdown of traffic stops this year

By Danielle Ohl/Spotlight PA

5 takeaways from our event on Pennsylvania’s flawed police hiring database

Panelists said legislative action and other accountability measures are needed to close loopholes left in the 2020 law that created Pennsylvania’s law enforcement hiring database.

By Danielle Ohl/Spotlight PA

Statewide Pennsylvania police hiring database hindered by loopholes, lack of enforcement

A Pennsylvania database of police personnel records lauded as a national model is riddled with loopholes that raise serious questions.

By Danielle Ohl/Spotlight PA

Despite high vaccination rates among Pa. prisoners, some COVID restrictions remain in place

Incarcerated people and their advocates are asking the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections to reconsider COVID-19 restrictions that affect quality of life.

By Danielle Ohl/Spotlight PA

To successfully use Pennsylvania’s ‘compassionate release’ law, he had to choose to die

A late-stage cancer diagnosis left Bradford Gamble with a difficult decision: Receive treatment in a Pennsylvania state prison or die on the outside.

By Danielle Ohl/Spotlight PA
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