Legislation involving officer-involved deaths and investigations will be filed in January by a veteran Missouri lawmaker.
State Sen. Jamilah Nasheed, D-St. Louis, says her legislation will provide Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley (R) with the ability to investigate an officer-involved death.
Under Nasheed’s proposed legislation, if an investigation is ordered, it must be done by at least two investigators, neither of whom can be employed by the agency that employs the officer involved in the death.
The investigators would be required to provide a complete report to the attorney general.
Under Nasheed’s proposal, if the Attorney General determines there is no basis to prosecute the officer involved in the death, the report can be released to the public.
“Our citizens deserve accountability and transparency when the use of deadly force occurs,” Nasheed says in a written statement. “These tragedies demand answers and closure for everyone involved. That’s why I am refiling a bill for our next legislative session that will mandate certain procedures after an officer-involved shooting results in the death of one of our citizens.”
She describes her proposed legislation as an effort to keep the public safe and government officers accountable.
In 2014, Senator Nasheed and State Rep. Jay Barnes, R-Jefferson City, called for legislation to require that a special prosecutor handle investigations of fatal officer-involved shootings.
