St. Louis police facing charges after assaulting prisoners
April 5, 2012
BY CHRISTINE BYERS

ST. LOUIS - Two city police officers are charged with assaulting handcuffed teenage prisoners in separate incidents, officials announced Wednesday.

Rory Bruce, 35, and David Wilson, 28, are charged with third-degree assault.

Wilson, on the department for four years, was placed on administrative duty pending the outcome of an internal investigation, Chief Dan Isom said in a videotaped statement released through Facebook.

Bruce was fired March 28, as was his partner at the time of the incident, Jacob Fowler. Both were probationary officers with less than a year on the force. Fowler was not criminally charged, but dismissed for violating department policy.

Wilson allegedly punched a 16-year-old male suspect in the head while he was handcuffed and sitting in the rear of a police car. The teen was arrested on felony charges about 3:50 p.m. Jan. 8, in the 1500 block of Tower Grove Avenue.

Bruce is charged with punching a different 16-year-old male suspect in the face while his hands were cuffed behind his back outside a police car in a felony arrest about 1:15 a.m. Feb. 20 along the 200 block of East Grand Avenue.

Both incidents were captured on video and audio recordings in police vehicles, according to court documents. The case against Bruce began with a complaint; police would not say what started the investigation of Wilson.

Authorities said they could not give more details on the charges against the teens because they are juveniles.

Circuit Attorney Jennifer Joyce released a statement saying her office “is committed to holding those who commit crimes accountable for their criminal conduct, regardless of who they are or what they do...”

Isom echoed similar sentiments in his prepared statement: "It is the department’s responsibility to enforce the law, even when our own officers are the ones who have broken the law,” he said. “We will not allow the actions of some to tarnish the reputation of our entire department."

The American Civil Liberies Union of Eastern Missouri released a statement commending Isom and Joyce, saying, in part, “It’s a substantive effort to further establish real accountability and greater transparency in the St. Louis police department. Such measures have been too infrequent in the past.”

The group also said Isom’s deployment of in-car cameras has provided an objective record that can substantiate or disprove allegations of police misconduct.

The group said Joyce’s actions affirm a "commitment to discovering the facts in these cases and protecting the constitutional rights of everyone."