Kevin Rector moves to legal affairs beat, Libor Jany to cover the LAPD
The following announcement was sent on behalf of Deputy Managing Editor Hector Becerra and City Editor Maria L. La Ganga:
We’re pleased to announce two staff changes that will continue to strengthen our robust criminal justice coverage. Kevin Rector is stepping into the increasingly important legal affairs beat. And Libor Jany is taking over one of the most high-profile assignments at The Times — coverage of the Los Angeles Police Department.
In his new position, Rector will cover the California Supreme Court and 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, as well as write about legal trends and issues. For the time being, he will remain in Southern California. Rector demonstrated great skill in juggling the intense demands of the LAPD beat since joining The Times in April 2020, producing regular daily stories as well as investigative stories, analysis pieces and Column Ones.
Rector spent eight years at the Baltimore Sun, where he was an investigative, police and city crime reporter. He was part of a team that won the 2020 Pulitzer Prize in local reporting for uncovering criminal business dealings by Baltimore’s mayor that led to her resignation and federal conviction.
Jany joined the newsroom in March as a reporter covering law enforcement and justice issues. In his short time at The Times, he’s weighed in on the crowded field taking on Sheriff Alex Villanueva in the primary, covered the La Luz del Mundo case as it made its way through the courts and delved into Beverly Hills’ excessive use of surveillance cameras.
Before joining The Times, Jany covered public safety for the Star Tribune in Minneapolis, where he was part of a reporting team that won the 2021 Pulitzer Prize and George Polk Award for its coverage of the police murder of George Floyd. The same year, he also was named Journalist of the Year by the National Assn. of Black Journalists. A St. Paul, Minn., native, Jany studied communications at Mississippi State University.
