Founded in 2003, Appin has been described as a cybersecurity company and an educational consulting firm. Appin was also, according to Reuters reporting and extensive marketing materials, a prolific “hacking for hire” service, stealing information from politicians and militaries as well as businesses and even unfaithful spouses.

Reuters reporters Peter Eisler and Grant Smith recently joined MuckRock to share what they learned building a nationwide database of local jail deaths. Here’s how you follow up with your own investigations.

After years of reporting, Reuters has released a first-of-its-kind national database of deaths in local jails, offering a unique resource for news organizations looking to examine inmate mortality in the facilities they cover. Next Wednesday, Peter Eisler and Grant Smith share how they gathered and cleaned the data and how you can use it for your own reporting and analysis.

In a sweeping investigation, a team of Reuters reporters, editors, and data analysts raised serious questions about Taser’s manufacturer’s claim that no one has died directly from device’s shock. Reviewing the results of hundreds of autopsies, filing hundreds of public records requests around the country, and other painstaking open-source research made the investigation possible.