Scott Friedman is NBC 5's Senior Investigative Reporter leading the "NBC 5 Investigates" team, exposing critical safety concerns, and holding officials accountable.
Scott’s investigative reporting has been recognized with broadcasting’s top national honors including the duPont-Columbia Award - the broadcast equivalent of the Pulitzer Prize - a Peabody Award, five national Edward R. Murrow Awards, the Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE) Award, two national SPJ Sigma Delta Chi Awards and a national News and Documentary Emmy for outstanding regional investigative report. Scott's investigations have also been featured on NBC Nightly News and TODAY on NBC.
Scott’s Peabody Award-winning investigation of financial troubles at Dallas County Schools (DCS) exposed a web of corruption, staggering financial mismanagement, hidden personal relationships and conflicts of interest inside an agency that transported tens of thousands of children to school each day. The Texas Legislature, governor and voters acted swiftly to close DCS and the superintendent who ran the agency pleaded guilty to federal charges for accepting $ 3 million of bribes and kickbacks in exchange for government contracts. The NBC5 reports also sparked an FBI public corruption investigation which led to the conviction of the second-highest-ranking elected official in the City of Dallas.
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In 2023, Scott received the prestigious Alfred I. du-Pont-Columbia Award for his series “Paper Tag Nation” which exposed how criminals were able to infiltrate the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles registration system in order to sell vast numbers of fraudulent temporary license plates illegally. The series revealed how those fraudulent paper plates were often used by criminal organizations looking to create “ghost cars” used in cross-border smuggling, human trafficking, and the commission of violent crimes. NBC5’s reporting helped spark leadership changes at the Texas DMV, legislative action to change the temporary tag system, and a new system for car dealer licensing background checks.
For more than a year, Scott’s team investigated care for injured, active-duty U.S. Army soldiers, in partnership with The Dallas Morning News. The series uncovered hundreds of complaints from injured troops describing mistreatment, harassment, verbal abuse and a lack of care from commanders of U.S. Army Warrior Transition Units (WTUs). Within days of the station’s first reports, the U.S. Army ordered new training for commanders of all 25 WTUs worldwide, aimed at better treating injured troops with dignity and respect. The U.S. House Armed Services Committee also ordered a Government Accountability Office (GAO) investigation.
Scott’s nine-month-long investigation of crashes and injuries caused by police officers using dashboard-mounted computers while driving led to changes in local police department policies and became training material for law enforcement agencies nationwide.
Scott joined KXAS-TV in 2006 reporting, later anchoring the station’s weekday morning newscast, NBC 5 Today. In 2012, he helped launch “NBC 5 Investigates.”
Previously Scott was an investigative reporter and news anchor at WTMJ-TV (NBC) in Milwaukee and a reporter at WNDU-TV (NBC) in South Bend, Indiana. He is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame.
The Latest
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Fort Worth faces crisis as rape kit backlog surges due to severe understaffing
An NBC 5 investigation has raised questions about the Fort Worth Police Department’s handling of sexual assault cases. The department has failed to test sexual assault evidence kits in a timely manner as required by state law, leaving victims without justice. Senior investigative reporter Scott Friedman reveals why it’s happening and how the delays can leave victims without “justice...
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Woefully understaffed, Fort Worth's rape kit backlog climbs to more than 900
The Fort Worth Police Department has failed hundreds of times to test sexual assault evidence kits in the amount of time required by state law. NBC 5 Investigates raises serious questions about how the department handles the cases and how the delays impact victims.
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Speeds lowered on two dangerous Dallas roadways highlighted in NBC 5's Driven to Death series
Drivers will see lower speed limit signs on U.S. 75/Central Expressway from Downtown Dallas to Mockingbird Lane. Lower limits are also posted now on Loop 12 in Southern Dallas. NBC 5 senior investigative reporter Scott Friedman reports lower speeds are just the beginning of safety changes on the way after our Driven to Death investigative series.
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Speed limits drop on Loop 12, Central Expressway headed into Downtown Dallas
Less than a month after the Dallas City Council voted to change the speed limit on Central Expressway, the signs making the change enforceable were swapped out on Thursday.
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Crash that injured six children highlights latest in dangers on Loop 12
The latest crash on Ledbetter Drive that left six children injured in Dallas once again shines a light on Loop 12 and three major issues that continue to put lives at risk on that stretch of road. NBC 5 Investigates senior reporter Scott Friedman explains what’s being done to address the dangers.
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Crash injuring six children highlights Loop 12 danger zone again
Dallas police say a weekend crash that left six children injured was caused by a speeding driver who had been drinking and ran a red light at an intersection along Loop 12/Ledbetter Boulevard. a street that continues to be the most dangerous in Dallas.
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North Texas suburb implementing jail time for triple-digit speeders
There’s a crackdown on speeding in North Texas where police will put drivers in jail if they’re clocked driving at triple-digit speeds.. Senior Investigative reporter Scott Friedman — continues our series — Driven to Death with the stunning stats from a major police enforcement effort.
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Headed ‘to the pokey.' DFW-area police warn extreme speeders of possible arrest
There’s a crackdown on speeding on U.S. Highway 75 with one North Texas suburb putting drivers in jail if they’re clocked driving at triple-digit speeds.
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A look back at Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia's time as top cop
Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia was hired to reduce crime, restore community confidence and increase diversity within the department. NBC 5 Senior Investigative reporter Scott Friedman has a closer look at the chief’s impact.
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Driven to Death: Lowering speed limits in Dallas
Dallas is implementing lower speed limits on some of its most dangerous roads following an NBC 5 investigation. The changes aim to improve safety in light of extreme speeds and a high number of deadly crashes previously reported by NBC 5. Senior investigative reporter Scott Friedman has more.