Selected - Patrick Doyle

Can Pittsburgh’s New Police Chief Save the Bureau?

On April 27, 2016

Over the past few months, I’ve been reporting on Cameron McLay, chief of police for Pittsburgh, and his quest to turn the long-troubled bureau into a cutting-edge, community-focused police department. Topics covered: brutality, police-minority relations, blackjacks, high-speed chases, community policing, corruption, a Twitter scandal, the DOJ consent decree, hiring, pay, and the union. Oh, and that time a camera caught a Pittsburgh sergeant beating the hell out of a teenager outside of Heinz Field.

You can read my profile of McLay in the May issue of Pittsburgh Magazine.

Can a Midsize Rust Belt City Compete With Silicon Valley?

By Patrick Doyle

On November 22, 2015

In Business, Selected, Technology, Urbanism

For the new issue of MIT Technology Review, I got the chance to examine a question that I’ve long wondered about: When it comes to the tech sector, can a smaller city like Pittsburgh actually play on the same level as San Francisco?

The State of Virtual Reality in Journalism

By Patrick Doyle

On October 23, 2015

In Business, Media, Selected, Technology

I’ve long been interested in the Future of Media—it’s in caps because it is an Important Issue Worth Pondering—so I was happy to work on this report about how media organizations are creating new types of journalism through virtual reality. The Knight Foundation generously funded the project, which was released at the StoryNEXT conference in Tribeca on October 23, 2015.

The Accidental Senator: A Profile of Michael Bennet

By Patrick Doyle

On April 30, 2015

In Politics, Selected, The West

I spent around a year hanging out with Senator Michael Bennet, a Democrat for Colorado, for the profile that’s now out in the May issue of 5280 Magazine. Bennet’s had a pretty interesting career—before he became a senator, he went to Yale Law, worked in business for billionaire Phil Anschutz, served as chief of staff for then-mayor John Hickenlooper, and then was superintendent of Denver Public Schools. In my time with him, there was one major conclusion to be drawn: He’s a smart, pragmatic guy who is slamming up against the the limits of Congress.

The Man With the Plan for Pittsburgh

By Patrick Doyle

On April 23, 2015

In Politics, Selected, Urbanism

Out in the May issue of Pittsburgh Magazine: My profile of Ray Gastil, the city’s new planning director, who has a big vision for the future of Pittsburgh. We biked 25 miles around the city, covering downtown, Mount Washington, the South Side, Hazelwood, Oakland, and the Hill, so I could see neighborhoods through his eyes, and understand where Pittsburgh has been and where we’re headed.

The Long Way Home

By Patrick Doyle

On September 10, 2014

In Adventure, Essay, Selected

This was a fun one: I wrote an essay for Outside about how my wife and I drove 10,000 miles around the country to scout out a new city to live in—and chose Pittsburgh. I think the Pathfinder looks good in front of the Tetons (although the black bag on top looks more like a bunch of Heftys than a Thule).

Resurrection

By Patrick Doyle

On November 1, 2012

In Crime, Politics, Selected

The clergy sex abuse scandal exploded onto front pages across the country in 2002. A painful decade later, the Archdiocese of Boston has begun to rebuild. But a stubborn question remains: What kind of man wants to become a priest?

Dry Times

By Patrick Doyle

On April 1, 2010

In Environment, Infographics, Selected, Technology, The West, Urbanism

Colorado has grown rapidly over recent decades, as more and more people crowd into our borders. Our water, unfortunately is a limited resource. And we’re almost out.

The Politics of Killing

By Patrick Doyle

On December 1, 2008

In Crime, Politics, Selected

Fifteen years after the Chuck E. Cheese massacre in Aurora, the shooter is still on death row. Nathan Dunlap’s execution may bring a day of reckoning for Governor Bill Ritter. Check it out online at 5280.com or read a PDF with the original design here.