Missouri Police Departments and Law Firms Not Worried about Police Brutality
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Missouri Police Departments and Law Firms Not Worried about Police Brutality

Date: September 27, 2011
By: Jessi Turnure
State Capitol Bureau

Intro: 
St. Louis law firms see police misconduct cases every day but do not view it as an epidemic.
RunTime:  0:37
OutCue:  SOC

Wrap: Representatives from Ryals Law Firm receive police brutality cases every day.    

Attorney Steve Ryals says in some police departments misconduct allegations seem to be more prevalent than in others.

Actuality:  RYALS2.WAV
Run Time:  00:09
Description: "I'd say numerically just as a raw number probably the largest number of complaints I receive pertain to the city of St. Louis."
 
The city of Columbia has also recently had police brutality issues.  

Ryals says he receives an average of two to three calls per day regarding police misconduct but he only acts on several a month depending on the severity of the case.

Reporting from the state Capitol I'm Jessi Turnure.  

 

Intro: 
Departments working in conjunction with various police forces say complaints are decreasing.
RunTime:  0:35
OutCue:  SOC

Wrap: Although police brutality has been a recent problem in Columbia, Deputy Director of Kansas City Office of Community Complaints Merrell Bennekin says officer conduct and excessive use of force complaints have decreased over the past several years.

Actuality:  MERRELL.WAV
Run Time:  00:04
Description: "I can only speak for Kansas City and I say no. We are not seeing a whole lot of instances of police brutality."
 
Bennekin says the department mostly hears complaints regarding improper arrest or citation procedures.
 
The Office of Community Complaints acts as a neutral, unbiased mediating force between possible victims and the police department.
 
Reporting from the state Capitol I'm Jessi Turnure.