Riverview Police Chief Brandin Neil faces significant scrutiny regarding his professional history and the circumstances of his appointment to the department’s top role. Allegations against Chief Neil include excessive use of force in multiple incidents, the dismissal of a detective who conducted his background check, and a hiring process reportedly influenced by the city's former mayor while he was in jail.
The Riverview City Hall and Police Department were furloughed on September 10, leaving Chief Neil as one of only two commissioned officers remaining in the department, according to state records.
Jailhouse calls obtained by investigators indicate that the decision to hire Neil into the department’s top leadership position came from the city’s now-former mayor, Michael Cornell Jr. At the time of this decision, Mr. Cornell was in the St. Louis County jail, awaiting trial for alleged sex crimes. Chief Neil confirmed in an interview that he did speak with the former mayor while he was incarcerated.
A former Riverview detective, who claims to have performed Chief Neil’s background check for the city, alleges that the chief subsequently fired him for an investigation that stemmed from that very background check. When questioned about the detective’s dismissal, Chief Neil stated he could not comment on the matter due to it being a personnel issue.
Chief Neil’s tenure as an officer has been marked by several allegations of excessive force, some of which were captured on camera. These incidents reportedly show Neil using force, including punches to the head, against individuals who did not appear to be resisting. Two of these incidents resulted in court actions against him.
One such incident occurred on August 8, 2019, when Neil, then an off-duty St. Louis City police officer, was captured on video at a St. Louis City gas station. Security footage from that time showed Neil engaging in an argument with a man, attempting to tase him, and then repeatedly punching him in the head with his handcuffs. Court records indicate Neil was charged with third-degree assault, a felony, in connection with this event. During a bench trial in September 2021, a judge found Neil not guilty. The man involved, Bryan Boyle, had previously told investigators that he merely asked Neil, "'What are you?'" and that Neil never identified himself as an officer. Mr. Boyle later filed a federal lawsuit against Neil, alleging Fourth and 14th Amendment rights violations. This lawsuit was ultimately dropped in April 2024 following Mr. Boyle’s death in an unrelated incident. Regarding Mr. Boyle, Chief Neil stated that "all matters of that case are public record."
Before the gas station incident, in May 2019, Neil was reportedly under investigation for an internal affairs complaint related to an alleged incident where he tackled a woman and her boyfriend inside a South City bar. He was not criminally charged in connection with this alleged event and left the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department in September of the same year. Chief Neil stated that the alleged incident "was investigated and found to not be factual."
More recently, in 2025, video circulated showing Chief Neil arresting former Riverview Alderwoman Regina Davis during a town hall meeting. Ms. Davis, who had attended the meeting to question the then-Mayor about a sexual misconduct lawsuit, was charged with assault, accused of biting Neil during the arrest. These charges against Ms. Davis have since been dropped. Ms. Davis has now filed a lawsuit against Chief Neil and the city of Riverview, claiming the force used against her was excessive and unwarranted. Chief Neil declined to comment on the active litigation.
Also in 2025, a video circulated on social media depicted a man in a police uniform, identified by a former Riverview detective as Neil, punching a man in the head while he was on the ground outside a St. Louis City nightclub. Chief Neil commented on this video in a statement, asserting that he only requested the sharing of the full, approximately 25-minute video. He claimed this longer video would depict attempts to de-escalate a group of subjects, assaults on officers, and subsequent resisting arrest. The additional video requested by Neil has not been provided.
Additionally, recorded jail call conversations between the now-former Riverview mayor and a now-former alderwoman in April suggest Chief Neil may have been under investigation by Missouri Peace Officer’s Standards and Training (POST) for an incident during his time with the Moline Acres Police Department, where he served from December 1, 2025, until April 23, 2026.
Despite the allegations and scrutiny, Chief Neil provided a written statement outlining his efforts in his current role. He stated that since his return to the Riverview Police Department five months prior, he had focused on bringing the department into state compliance, fostering relationships with neighboring departments and officials, and engaging with the community. He affirmed that the betterment and protection of the city’s residents remained his ultimate goal, which he intended to pursue transparently and efficiently.
Eusef Robin Huq, a defense attorney who prosecuted the 2021 case against Neil, expressed surprise at Neil's current position, hoping that "Maybe 2021 and that trial was a wake-up call."