For Immediate Release: For more information contact:
Feb. 2, 2015 Rep. Gail McCann Beatty at (573) 751-2124
Rep. Beatty seeks special prosecutor for officer-involved deaths
Legislation would address public perception of bias in some cases
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Assistant House Minority Leader Gail McCann Beatty, D-Kansas City, filed legislation today that would automatically require the appointment of a special prosecutor to handle cases in which a police officer kills someone or is involved in a non-fatal shooting.
Beatty said there is often a public perception that local prosecutors are reluctant to pursue criminal charges against police officers because they fear damaging the relationships they have with their local police departments. Automatically assigning a special prosecutor with no ties to local law enforcement to handle such cases would alleviate those concerns.
“Rightly or wrongly, there can be a perception that the fix is in when a prosecutor declines to bring charges against a police officer whose department the prosecutor works with every day,” Beatty said. “That perception undermines public trust in our criminal justice system. By automatically requiring an outside special prosecutor in these cases, we can eliminate questions of bias and protect the integrity of the process.”
Beatty’s legislation in House Bill 773.
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