Report reveals delays in Missouri police misconduct cases
ST. LOUIS - A new report by The Marshall Project reveals that hundreds of Missouri police officers with misconduct allegations still retain their licenses.
The investigation reviewed over 600 allegations of police misconduct dating back to 2014, uncovering significant delays in case resolutions. Among the cases reviewed, 73 involved allegations of sexual misconduct, with 33 of those involving children.
On average, it took more than 500 days for these cases to be heard, highlighting a slow process in addressing police misconduct. One notable case involved an officer who pleaded guilty to driving under the influence in 2008, yet his case was not heard until 2022.
In cases involving death, it took more than a year for half of them to be addressed.
Out of the more than 600 cases, 135 officers surrendered their licenses, and 150 had them revoked, leaving many cases unresolved, on probation, suspended, or expired. The rest, more than 340 cases, are unresolved, on probation, suspended, or expired.
The findings have prompted calls for changes in police accountability, as advocates say the current system undermines public safety and trust.
All facts in this report were gathered by journalists employed by KTVI. Artificial intelligence tools were used to reformat from a broadcast script into a news article for our website. This report was edited and fact-checked by KTVI staff before being published.
