Fraternal Order of Police criticizes Southeast Missourian article on excessive force lawsuits

AI-generated image

The Missouri Fraternal Order of Police-Lodge 51, an organization including members of Cape Girardeau Police Department, posted to its Facebook account a response critical of a recent Southeast Missourian article.

According to the post, the organization describes itself as "the voice of area law enforcement" and stated the article was "heavy-handed" and "intentionally" altered facts surrounding the cases detailed in the story. The post stated the article "intentionally" implied that settling a lawsuit out of court is equivalent to saying the lawsuit is true and called out a City Council member's view of the Officer's Bill of Rights as "speaking from a place of ignorance."

It was not clear who made the Facebook post on behalf of the Fraternal Order of Police. There was no name attached to it.

The article concentrates primarily on two lawsuits that were settled by the City of Cape Girardeau over claims of excessive force. In one of the incidents, bodycam video shows Robert Teater complying with police officers' commands and being handcuffed when officers tackled him from behind, which resulted in broken ribs and a collapsed lung. The city settled the case for $95,000. In a different case, Ryan Mosley was kicked in the face after he fled a police officer on foot following a report of trespassing. The kick broke bones in the man's face. Mosley received $100,000 from the City in a settlement.

The city is also facing a lawsuit with plaintiff Lloyd Gilmore, which is still under litigation.

Southeast Missourian editor Rick Fahr said the newspaper stands behind the article.

"This piece was the result of many hours of interviews and research. We believe it accurately conveys information regarding these incidents," he said.

To read the full story for context, go to https://www.semissourian.com/story/3051826.html.