POLICE IN MELEE SAY JUSTICE LETTERS EXONERATED THEM

Two Cape Girardeau police officers Tuesday welcomed the findings of a Justice Department civil-rights investigation that they say exonerates their actions in last year's Good Hope Street melee.

The U.S. Department of Justice has sent letters to those involved in the confrontation.

The agency found no reason for criminal prosecution against any of the 18 officers from five agencies who responded to the melee in the 400 block of Good Hope on June 11. The incident involved law enforcement officers, two brothers and a crowd of about 150 people.

Cape Girardeau police officers Rollin Roberts and Robert Rippee said they received letters that cleared them of accusations of civil-rights violations. Neither officer provided a copy of the letter. Police Chief Rick Hetzel and City Manager Michael Miller said they had seen the letter but didn't keep a copy for their files.

The Justice Department Tuesday refused to release the letter as a matter of policy.

Kara Peterman, a Justice Department spokeswoman, said the agency has closed the investigation because the actions of officers in the incident don't warrant prosecution.

A federal investigation was initiated after a sister of Greg and Kenneth Campbell, the brothers involved in the melee, complained that racial slurs and other actions by police provoked the confrontation. Both Campbells were charged with assaulting a police officer and resisting arrest.

The Campbells and six law enforcement officers were injured.

Eight other Cape Girardeau residents also were arrested and charged with rioting after rocks and debris were thrown at police who were attempting to arrest the Campbells.

Greg Campbell's lawyer, Stephen Wilson, said as far as he knows his client has not been contacted by anyone in the Justice Department. Wilson said he hasn't seen the letters. Greg Campbell "is very upset about their decision not to do anything," Wilson said.

At a preliminary hearing in July, Roberts said he was hit by rocks as big as baseballs while attempting to arrest Kenneth Campbell in an alley next to the Taste Restaurant and Lounge on Good Hope.

Roberts said Tuesday he wasn't surprised by the Justice Department findings. "I wasn't really worried about it,' he said. "Cape Girardeau is one of the most professional departments in Southeast Missouri and in the state of Missouri. This community is lucky to have this kind of department."

He said the Justice Department's investigation shows the police department can withstand the scrutiny of being put under "a microscope."

"The public will know that what we tell them actually happened," he said.

Rippee suffered a concussion after he was hit with debris. Rippee refused to comment on the Justice Department findings other than to say he was exonerated.