Gateway Journalism Review

Published continuously since 1970

police accountability

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City of St. Louis ‘betrays’ its pledge to alter legal positions protecting abusive police, critics say

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Six months after St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones’ administration promised to reconsider its defense of legal doctrines that protect abusive police, it is continuing to defend them, prompting charges of “betrayal” from civil rights lawyers. In campaigning for office, Jones spoke frequently about the need for greater police accountability, citing the deaths of George Floyd in … [Read more...] about City of St. Louis ‘betrays’ its pledge to alter legal positions protecting abusive police, critics say

Police misconduct biggest single cause of 2,900 wrongful convictions

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Police misconduct is a leading cause of wrongful convictions in the United States. Just over 2,900 people have been exonerated in the U.S. since 1989 according to data from the National Registry of Exonerations. That amounts to 25,900 lost years for those stuck behind bars. Over 37% of those cases involve police misconduct, and over half of all exonerations involve … [Read more...] about Police misconduct biggest single cause of 2,900 wrongful convictions

Wandering cops shuffle between departments, abuse citizens

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Timothy Loehmann wanted to be a police officer like his dad. The Independence, Ohio, police department hired him but the chief found that Loehmann “could not cope” with firearms and showed a “dangerous lack of composure.” Independence allowed Loehmann to quietly leave the department. But nearby Cleveland hired Loehmann without checking his background. So it was Loehmann who … [Read more...] about Wandering cops shuffle between departments, abuse citizens

Two St. Louis police killings similar to George Floyd and Breonna Taylor deaths

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ST. LOUIS — Five years before George Floyd died of “asphyxia-restraint” on a Minneapolis street, 27-year-old Nicholas Gilbert died in a St. Louis police holdover cell with six officers on top of him. He was handcuffed with his legs shackled while gasping, “It hurts. Stop.” Three years before Breonna Taylor was killed by police in a flawed “no-knock” raid in Louisville, … [Read more...] about Two St. Louis police killings similar to George Floyd and Breonna Taylor deaths