JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — There are two weeks left for the Missouri Legislature to pass bills, and some Democrats are frustrated another year has passed without major changes to the state’s law enforcement policies.
Lawmakers are trying to bring the state’s laws into line with a 1985 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that police can only use deadly force when an officer believes a fleeing felon poses a serious threat to others.
Legislation limiting public access to police body camera footage is also nearing passage. Lawmakers say giving law enforcement more concrete guidelines how to deal with that video will encourage more departments to employ the technology.
Democrats say those measures won’t address the distrust between black communities and police, which was thrust into the national spotlight after the unrest in Ferguson.