Nixon Signs Police Use of Force Legislation

Governor Jay Nixon signed a measure into law Wednesday that brings Missouri’s law on deadly force into compliance with a Supreme Court ruling from more than 30 years ago. The Missouri bill brings state law on when police can use deadly force in line with a 1985 U-S Supreme Court ruling that held that police can’t shoot at a fleeing person unless the officer reasonably believes the individual poses a significant physical danger. Missouri’s law didn’t previously specify that an officer must believe the fleeing suspect is dangerous. The discrepancy gained attention after the 2014 fatal police shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson.