Even though Darren Wilson resigned from the Ferguson Police Department after the grand jury decided not to indict him in the fatal shooting of unarmed Black teenager, Michael Brown, on Aug. 9, a group of attorneys is aiming to prevent Wilson from working as a police officer again in the state of Missouri.
The National Bar Association (NBA) filed a petition with the Missouri Department of Public Safety, “asking for the permanent revocation of Wilson’s Missouri peace officer’s license.”
In the view of the NBA, Wilson “has committed [a] criminal offense and has committed any act while on active duty or under color of law that involves moral turpitude or a reckless disregard for the safety of the public or any person.”
In addition to suspending Wilson’s license, the NBA also asks for the Administrative Hearing Commission to find that there is cause to discipline Wilson and hold a hearing within thirty days of the finding to determine the punishment for Wilson.
Neil Bruntrager, one of Wilson’s attorneys, doubts that Wilson will ever work in law enforcement again, he told Yahoo News.
“I suspect if they decide to (have an administrative hearing), he will certainly defend himself and should defend himself under the circumstances, because I don’t believe there were any rules violations in this thing,” Bruntrager said. “It’s a matter of reputation. It’s a matter of pride.”
Pamela Meanes, the president of the NBA, says the organization is also researching the licensing process where excessive force has been used against Blacks.
“Until there is some form of teaching officers to de-escalate a situation similar to how they do with suspects who are not African American… it’s in the best interest of the public that those individual licenses are removed,” Meanes told Yahoo News.
