Missouri police do a difficult job, but do they need their own ‘bill of rights’?

Police already enjoy a wide range of legal protections. Law enforcement officials are afforded due process rights everyday citizens can’t access. Cops too rarely face consequences for questionable actions in the course of their duties.

That’s understandable. Officers often make life-and-death decisions in a matter of seconds. They deserve praise for their grace under fire. But they shouldn’t get a deck stacked in their favor when they’re scrutinized for alleged misconduct.

So why are Missouri lawmakers hell-bent on shielding officers under investigation for use-of-force incidents or other misconduct? Law enforcement officials don’t need a free pass to avoid or delay questioning. But Senate Bill 26, a measure sponsored by Republican Sen. William Eigel of St. Charles County, moved quickly through the state Senate and this week was placed on the calendar for perfection.

The measure is wholly un-American. It would also increase penalties for someone ticketed for blocking traffic. A person arrested for interfering with traffic during a protest would face a felony charge.

Messages left for Eigel were not returned. His proposal would make it more difficult to root out problem cops and hold officers accountable for illegal behavior, while punishing people who gather to exercise their First Amendment rights.

Missourians have been pleading for solutions to strengthen police accountability, but lawmakers are responding instead with a bill to discourage investigations into police misconduct.

“It doesn’t make any sense,” Karen Rogers, a volunteer with the Missouri chapter of the nonprofit Moms Demand Action, said.

This legislation, which proponents call a “law enforcement officers’ bill of rights,” is an example of the kind of governmental overreach Republican lawmakers once rebuked. SB 39, or the Second Amendment Protection Act, is another. That proposal, which passed out of the Senate’s General Laws Committee last month, would prohibit state or local authorities from enforcing federal gun laws in Missouri.

So what is the Republican-led Senate’s agenda?

“It is unclear what Missouri lawmakers are trying to accomplish or who they’re working for this legislative session — but it’s not Missouri law enforcement and it’s not our communities,” Rogers said.

What if an officer shoots a bad guy? Most police agencies around the state give their personnel at least two days to prepare for questioning. Under SB 66, the cooldown period would increase to a minimum of three days before an officer is interrogated. An agency would have 90 days to complete the investigation.

The officer must be on duty while the inquiry takes place. Only one investigator at a time can question the official, whose disciplinary record would remain sealed no matter the outcome.

Attorneys for the police officers involved in misconduct would have unfettered access to evidence if the measure is approved.

Why make it more difficult to hold officers accountable for wrongdoing committed on the job? Regular Missourians accused of running afoul of the law would be behind bars and forced to post a bond if they were in a similar situation. Shouldn’t a police officer be held to a higher standard of professionalism and personal conduct?

Delaware has moved to rescind similar protections for officers, as have Maryland and Rhode Island. Missouri lawmakers should follow suit and reject a bill filled with redundancy and contradictions.