St. Louis Prosecutor Refuses To Take On Cases From 28 Police Officers

St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner delivered an “exclusion list” to the city police department on Tuesday. On that list were the names of 28 police officers — and Gardner says that she will no longer consider cases brought to her office by any of those on the list.

Gardner’s office gave no reason for submitting the list, but did note that previous cases brought by those same officers were under review for “viability.”

Warrant applications from the affected officers may also be denied according to an emailobtained by the St. Louis Post Dispatch in which Maj. Michael Sack, of the Bureau of Professional Standards, referenced Gardner’s Chief Warrant Officer Chris Hinckley as the point of contact for any concerns.

In his email, Sack quoted Hinckley’s email. “Mr. Hinckley advised, ‘warrant applications involving officers (sic) as essential witnesses will be refused if their participation is essential to the successful prosecution of the case. Cases previously issued where the above officers are essential witnesses will be reviewed for viability.'”

While Gardner’s office has given no official reason for the case review or the exclusion list, many of her critics fear that the move could be political. Gardner’s relationship with local police departments has long been contentious — and a couple of recent high profile cases have not done much to mend fences.

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