United States: The Memphis Police Department violated the rights of Black individuals by using excessive force, says the U.S. Justice Department, which has urged the Tennessee city’s police to undertake radical changes.
Unlawful Practices Highlighted
The federal probe was started in July 2023, after Black motorist, Tyre Nichols, was fatally beaten by the Memphis police.
Memphis police engages in unlawful stop, search and arrest, disparate treatment, failure to appropriately interact with individuals with behavioral health disability and children “who have experienced aggressive and frightening encounters with officers,” the report said.
The Memphis Police Department was contacted for the purpose of collecting a comment on the investigation and the spokesperson referred us to the City Hall. A representative from City Hall declined to comment but noted that there will be a press briefing on Thursday, as reported by Reuters.
City Response to Justice Department Findings
In a letter to the Justice Department released on Wednesday, Memphis City Attorney Tannera Gibson said that the city officials are still not prepared to discuss the issue of reforming the police department, stating that they need to consider the contents of the report.
Also, Gibson mentioned that the investigation was concluded in 17 months, while it typically takes 2-3 years in most cases, which he described as an attempt to come to a hasty conclusion.
It meant that for the moment, the city could not sign any cooperation with the Justice Department to ‘work toward or enter into a consent decree,’ which often designates how a police department will change and usually entails outside oversight for several years.
Officers Convicted in Tyre Nichols Case Await Further Trials
Indeed, in October a federal jury convicted three ex-officers of Memphis of tampering with witnesses regarding their second-degree murder trial for Nichols’ killing. The officers were acquitted of the most severe charges that could have led to life imprisonment. Two other former officers had already entered federal plea deals and cooperated with the prosecution during the trial.
Three of the officers are still awaiting a murder trial a state in Tennessee in April.
In a statement, the Justice Department admitted that the police, too, had been reformed to some extent. However, it clarified that there were a lot of changes that were still required to tackle the problems identified by it.
Need for Comprehensive Reform
“The people of Memphis deserve a police department and city that protects their civil and constitutional rights, garners trust, and keeps them safe,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, as reported by Reuters.
The Justice Department statement said that local authorities, including the police department of Memphis and the city government, have complied fully with investigative procedures. It said that the federal officials “will be conducting outreach to members of the Memphis community for input on remedies to address the department’s findings.”