i think they should have brought him in for the outstanding warrants, but not the mj
Two St. Louis Police officers face disciplinary actions stemming from an incident in which one officer allegedly took pot from the scene of a traffic stop. Not only did the squad car's dashboard camera record what happened, but two state lawmakers were along for the ride as observers. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reveals Missouri state Sens. Jamilah Nasheed, D-St. Louis, and Maria Chappelle-Nadal, D-University City, were with officers when the incident occurred. Both lawmakers told a reporter they felt the officers did nothing wrong during the stop.
* The two officers pulled over a vehicle for a traffic violation around 8:23 p.m. Feb. 15 in north St. Louis. The police discovered the perpetrator was wanted on several arrest warrants from previous traffic violations.
* The police video shows a female officer takes a small amount of marijuana from the suspect's pocket and puts it her own pocket. Then the officers let the suspect go, according to police chief Sam Dotson, who spoke to the Post-Dispatch.
* The officers never entered the marijuana as evidence. Nasheed then accused the officer of stealing as heard on the police video. Dotson then told the news media outlet the female officer made a "value judgment" based upon the small amount of marijuana and minor traffic warrants. The officer said, "We're focused on violence," according to the newspaper.
* The police chief doesn't believe the officer pocketed the marijuana for personal use. The administrator told the Post-Dispatch the drugs should have been entered as evidence and a court summons issued.
* Internal affairs of the department has charged both officers with conduct unbecoming, failure to act and improper handling of evidence.
* Chappelle-Nadal told the Post-Dispatch, "It was a confiscation. I was with two amazing officers who did their jobs well. The officers were wonderful."
* Chappelle-Nadal was on a ride-along to research a firearms bill she is considering for the Missouri senate. Her observation of the police was one of several conducted by the lawmaker as part of her hands-on research.
* Nasheed was unaware of an internal investigation before the Post-Dispatch interview Tuesday. It was the lawmaker's first ride-along, which also included an attempted carjacking.
* Chappelle-Nadal told the newspaper the police department requested she make a statement as part of the internal affairs investigation. The senator was first elected to the Missouri senate in 2010 after spending six years in the state House of Representatives.
* Nasheed trusts Dotson to "do everything in his power to make any wrong right," according to the Post-Dispatch. Nasheed was first elected to the Senate in 2012 after lengthy service in the lower house. Both women serve in adjoining senatorial districts.
* If the suspect had been arrested for marijuana possession, the person would have faced up to a year in prison and a maximum $1,000 fine for an amount smaller than 35 grams. Anything above that amount would be a jail term not to exceed seven years.
William Browning is a research librarian specializing in U.S. politics.
http://news.yahoo.com/marijuana-sei...ong-leads-police-investigation-163100430.html
Two St. Louis Police officers face disciplinary actions stemming from an incident in which one officer allegedly took pot from the scene of a traffic stop. Not only did the squad car's dashboard camera record what happened, but two state lawmakers were along for the ride as observers. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reveals Missouri state Sens. Jamilah Nasheed, D-St. Louis, and Maria Chappelle-Nadal, D-University City, were with officers when the incident occurred. Both lawmakers told a reporter they felt the officers did nothing wrong during the stop.
* The two officers pulled over a vehicle for a traffic violation around 8:23 p.m. Feb. 15 in north St. Louis. The police discovered the perpetrator was wanted on several arrest warrants from previous traffic violations.
* The police video shows a female officer takes a small amount of marijuana from the suspect's pocket and puts it her own pocket. Then the officers let the suspect go, according to police chief Sam Dotson, who spoke to the Post-Dispatch.
* The officers never entered the marijuana as evidence. Nasheed then accused the officer of stealing as heard on the police video. Dotson then told the news media outlet the female officer made a "value judgment" based upon the small amount of marijuana and minor traffic warrants. The officer said, "We're focused on violence," according to the newspaper.
* The police chief doesn't believe the officer pocketed the marijuana for personal use. The administrator told the Post-Dispatch the drugs should have been entered as evidence and a court summons issued.
* Internal affairs of the department has charged both officers with conduct unbecoming, failure to act and improper handling of evidence.
* Chappelle-Nadal told the Post-Dispatch, "It was a confiscation. I was with two amazing officers who did their jobs well. The officers were wonderful."
* Chappelle-Nadal was on a ride-along to research a firearms bill she is considering for the Missouri senate. Her observation of the police was one of several conducted by the lawmaker as part of her hands-on research.
* Nasheed was unaware of an internal investigation before the Post-Dispatch interview Tuesday. It was the lawmaker's first ride-along, which also included an attempted carjacking.
* Chappelle-Nadal told the newspaper the police department requested she make a statement as part of the internal affairs investigation. The senator was first elected to the Missouri senate in 2010 after spending six years in the state House of Representatives.
* Nasheed trusts Dotson to "do everything in his power to make any wrong right," according to the Post-Dispatch. Nasheed was first elected to the Senate in 2012 after lengthy service in the lower house. Both women serve in adjoining senatorial districts.
* If the suspect had been arrested for marijuana possession, the person would have faced up to a year in prison and a maximum $1,000 fine for an amount smaller than 35 grams. Anything above that amount would be a jail term not to exceed seven years.
William Browning is a research librarian specializing in U.S. politics.
http://news.yahoo.com/marijuana-sei...ong-leads-police-investigation-163100430.html