St. Louis Police Officers Head To Joplin
6/1/11-Sixty St. Louis police officers have volunteered to spend a week in tornado-ravaged Joplin, and they left in a caravan of vehicles late Wednesday morning. The officers will assist in the Joplin recovery effort in several capacities, including traffic control, perimeter checkpoints, and patrolling high-impact zones to watch for looters. They even packed shields and other riot gear, though they’re not anticipating trouble. They just have it on a “better to have and not need” basis. Before leaving, officers were told very bluntly that they likely are not in for a pleasant experience. “We’re told there are a lot of bad smells,” a sergeant informed the assembled officers, “including rotting food, dead pets…possibly even body parts”. (KMOX/Brett Blume)