Commercial Appeal - Cohen calls for House hearing into police use of force in Missouri

WASHINGTON - U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen and two other Congress members called Thursday for a congressional hearing into reports of police misuse of force in Ferguson, Mo.

Cohen and the other lawmakers sent a letter to Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, asking for the panel to hold hearings into the police shooting of an unarmed black teenager in the St. Louis suburb and the response to the protests in the aftermath of the killing.

The letter cited reports that police have confronted demonstrators in riot gear and armored vehicles, arrested journalists covering the protests, and fired tear gas and rubber bullets into the crowd.

“These incidents raise concerns that local law enforcement is out of control and, instead of protecting the safety and civil liberties of the residents of Ferguson, is employing tactics that violate the rights of citizens and hinder the ability of the press to report on their actions,” the letter said.

Besides Cohen, the letter was signed by Rep. John Conyers of Michigan, the top-ranking Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, and Rep. Robert Scott, D-Va.