When law enforcement officers screw up, it’s always someone else’s fault. It’s the lack of trust or support for police officers, something that has steadily declined in the last half-decade. It’s a lack of funding, even though law enforcement agencies have rarely seen their budgets cut. It’s people emboldened by accountability efforts. The laws are too confusing. There was no way to know these obvious rights violations are rights violations. People are too loud or too close or there’s too many of them. Everyone’s a Monday morning quarterback. Safety had to be feared for. Law enforcement work is dangerous. There was no time to consider all the facts. Why do they behave this way?
So, when officers employed by the city of St. Louis screw up, it's always someone else's fault.
An incident involving St. Louis police officers and Chad Morris, co-owner of the bar Bar:PM, has raised serious questions about police conduct and accountability. The police probable cause statement associated with the charges against Bar:PM co-owner Chad Morris (who also goes by Chad Wick) alleges that Morris began to “scream obscenities” in the wake of the collision. That’s the story the cops are telling.
Here’s another extremely stupid accident, as recorded by a St. Louis business and uploaded to X by St. Louis activist @stlboog. That’s the kind of driving you do when you don’t have to pay for the car or the repairs. That’s the sort of impulsive carelessness you’d expect to see displayed by a teen with more horsepower than good judgment.
Now, imagine giving a teen a uniform, a badge, a gun, the power to arrest people, and the amount of personal accountability you’d expect from a toddler.
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Conflicting Accounts of the Incident
The bar’s co-owner, James Pence, says it was the officers who were the aggressors. They plowed their way into the bar and demanded to see Pence’s identification. When he refused, he was spun around and handcuffed. Then they went after Chad Morris, who was outside documenting the damage to his bar with his cell phone.
James Pence, Morris’ husband and another co-owner of the bar, said police initially told him they had swerved to miss a dog. The video clearly shows no animal was present. And it shows the officers did not need to “swerve” to miss the parked car. The video released to the bar owner’s lawyer by a nearby business immediately undercuts the consecutive narratives offered by the police.
From all appearances, the officers were overreacting to the presence of a parked car - an overreaction provoked by their excessive speed. Somehow, this singular criminal act - the destruction of personal property following an apparent moving violation - resulted in cops swarming Chad Morris’s bar. A bystander recording of the aftermath of the crash - including Morris’s arrest - has yet to be released by his lawyer.
Not only is the chain of events an indictment on law enforcement culture, it’s also more anecdotal evidence that St. Louis law enforcement officers simply aren’t capable of competently driving the force’s large SUVs.
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Aftermath and Legal Implications
Fortunately for Chad Morris, his felony charge was reduced to a misdemeanor the day after his arrest and he was released on his own recognizance. But that’s about the only upside. He’s still got a damaged bar, two misdemeanor criminal charges, and - for some stupid reason - an increased police presence in his neighborhood.
At some point, weeks or months or years from now, someone employed by the city of St. Louis might have to endure paid leave or, at worst, a brief suspension. But the owners of the bar have to deal with their problems immediately and without the guaranteed contribution of tax dollars to their cause until they’re made whole.
I get it. Accidents happen. But when you screw up, you’re supposed to apologize and take responsibility for your actions.
Recent Crime News in St. Louis
The incident involving Chad Morris occurred amidst a backdrop of various criminal activities in St. Louis. Here are some recent crime news headlines:
- Man shot, killed in Dutchtown overnight
- Jefferson County teacher arrested, faces domestic abuse charges after incident in Olivette
- St. Louis City Police ID woman killed in north St. Louis
- Man found guilty of attempted armed robbery at downtown St. Louis MetroLink station
- ‘I saw an extension cord coming from the upper window, plugged into our house’: South City alleged squatter causing disturbances
- Sexual abuse of teenager by former Doolittle officer revealed in toddler’s death investigation: Police
- Teen shot while jogging in St. Louis
- Man found guilty of shooting 2 women at St. Louis County pizza store
- Teenager accused of armed robbery at St. Louis County Imo’s Pizza
- Former St. Louis anchor charged with murdering mother
- Felony suspect arrested after barricading inside apartment during standoff in Arnold
- St. Peters woman sentenced for setting fire to Puerto Rico businesses
- Man, 39, killed in Walnut Park East neighborhood shooting
- Driver charged after stolen car crashed, throwing cooking oil on chef in St. Louis, police say
- Pedestrian dies after hit-and-run on I-64
- Man in custody after deadly shooting in Baden neighborhood
- Pedestrian struck, killed on I-270
- 2 injured in shooting in Dellwood
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