Security firm involved in St Louis shooting has history of lawsuits [View all]

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Guardian

Security firm involved in St Louis shooting has history of lawsuits

Company that employed off-duty police officer who shot Vonderrit Myers Jr has paid out settlements over other incidents

theguardian.com, Friday 10 October 2014 20.17 EDT

The security company for which a St Louis police officer was working when he shot dead a black 18-year-old this week paid out tens of thousands of dollars to settle lawsuits over incidents involving other off-duty police officers working for it, according to the plaintiffs in those suits.

Vonderrit Myers Jr was killed on Wednesday evening by a 32-year-old city police officer who was working a shift as a security guard for GCI Security. St Louis police said that Myers shot three times at the officer, who has not been named, and that the officer fired repeatedly in response.

The shooting has drawn attention to the widespread practice of St Louis police officers working second jobs as private security guards. The officer who shot Myers was wearing his police uniform at the time, something permitted by the department. GCI alone was reported in 2012 to employ 168 police officers.

Jeff Smith, a former Missouri state senator, said on Twitter on Friday that he had previously lived on Flora Place, the residential street in south St Louis that the officer involved was guarding. “Fee was $500/yr per house,” he wrote.



Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2014/oct/11/security-firm-involved-in-st-louis-shooting-has-history-of-lawsuits