Editing Pine Lawn, Missouri (section)

==Police and Municipal Courts Controversy==
Pine Lawn police issued some 17,000 traffic violations during 2014, in a town with about 2,300 adults, and has about 30,000<ref>{{cite news|title=St. Louis County Admits It Has A Jail Problem, Is Finally Getting Help|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/05/27/st-louis-county-jail-problem_n_7446850.html|access-date=27 May 2015|work=Huffington Post|date=27 May 2015}}</ref> open warrants. For the fiscal year ending June 30, 2014, Pine Lawn collected general revenue in the amount of $3,532,167, out of which $2,237,196 derived from fine and fees from its municipal court. This amounts to 63% of its general revenue and based on the 2010 Census, equates to $683.11 for each of its 3,275 residents.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/with-court-revenue-facing-limits-budgets-look-tenuous-in-many/article_97ada24f-14b8-5737-b14d-e67da840b15f.html|title=With court revenue facing limits, budgets look tenuous in many St. Louis County cities|first=Jacob|last=Barker}}</ref> The local prosecutor was criticized for this, because he is a lawyer for the [[Killing of Michael Brown|Michael Brown]] family, and alleges overzealous enforcement by the Ferguson Police Department.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/fired-pine-lawn-police-lieutenant-claims-mayoral-corruption-in-wrongful/article_f3924127-195b-5810-95a7-208a098663c4.html|title=Fired Pine Lawn police lieutenant claims mayoral corruption in wrongful termination lawsuit|first=Valerie Schremp Hahn, Joel|last=Currier}}</ref>

The report of the US Attorney General concerning the Ferguson Police Department prompted protests in Pine Lawn, Missouri as well.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://krcgtv.com/news/local/pine-lawn-protestors-press-for-changes-in-policing|title=Pine Lawn protestors press for changes in policing|first=Sinclair Broadcast|last=Group|date=6 March 2015|website=KRCG}}</ref> The use of police departments as revenue generation units may be widespread.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/municipal-courts-are-well-oiled-money-machine/article_2f45bafb-6e0d-5e9e-8fe1-0ab9a794fcdc.html|title=Municipal courts are well-oiled money machine|first=Jeremy Kohler, Jennifer S. Mann, Stephen|last=Deere}}</ref>

In October 2016, a former Pine Lawn police lieutenant, Steve Blakeney, was sentenced to 51 months in prison after being convicted of trumping up charges to arrest a challenger to then incumbent mayor Sylvester Caldwell. The officer coerced two store owners to falsely testify that the candidate had stolen a Caldwell campaign poster, then used that testimony  <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/former-pine-lawn-police-lieutenant-gets-months-in-federal-prison/article_68b534e2-0a92-5a1c-9669-f21b2582e9ff.html|title=Former Pine Lawn police lieutenant gets 51 months in federal prison|first=Robert|last=Patrick}}</ref> In December 2017, the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit upheld the conviction.<ref>United States v. Blakeney, http://media.ca8.uscourts.gov/opndir/17/12/163945P.pdf</ref> Caldwell was himself convicted and sentenced to prison for extortion in 2015.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/former-pine-lawn-mayor-sentenced-to-months-in-prison-for/article_fcaa219d-1ebc-5f9a-ab84-aa88a82ebdb9.html|title=Former Pine Lawn mayor sentenced to 33 months in prison for extortion|first=Robert|last=Patrick}}</ref>