Missouri Court Upholds Firing of Officer in Use-of-Force Case

A Missouri appellate court upheld the termination of a former officer with the Columbia (MO) Police Department who allegedly injured a prisoner in 2011.

According to The Missourian , the Missouri Court of Appeals' unanimous decision affirmed a May 2018 trial court ruling that former City Manager Mike Matthes acted within his authority in upholding the firing of former Officer Rob Sanders, and that Sanders violated the city's use of force policy when he shoved Kenneth Baker against the wall of a holding cell.

Baker reportedly suffered a compression fracture of his vertebra during the incident, and Chief Ken Burton—now no longer with the agency—fired the officer, despite the fact that an internal investigation concluded that Sanders had acted within department policy.

It remains unclear if the recent decision will be appealed to a higher court.