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The Memphis Police Department on Saturday said:permanently disableA statement from Police Chief Cerelyn “CJ” Davis said the unit’s officers were fired and charged with the death of Tire Nichols, after the unit’s SCORPION unit.
Law enforcement in Memphis, Tennessee, has released disturbing footage of police beating Nichols, a 29-year-old black man who died three days after the January 7 traffic stop. Kicking and hitting him in the head with a baton.
The five police officers charged in Nichols’ death were members of SCORPION, a street crime operation to restore peace in the neighborhood, the ministry confirmed.
“The officers currently assigned to the unit have unconditionally agreed to this next step,” the release said. “While the heinous actions of some individuals cast a cloud of stigma on the title of ‘SCORPION,’ we at the Memphis Police Department are determined to take proactive steps in the healing process for all affected. It’s essential.”
Here’s what you should know:
Ben Crump applauds “Swift Justice”:Experts say the charging speed was “abnormal”.
Video release:Video shows Memphis police severely beating Tyre Nichols during traffic stop
Tyre Nichols’ family calls for SCORPION unit to disband
Saturday’s news followed a call from Nichols’ family to dismantle the unit.
Nichols’ family attorney, Antonio Romanucci, said SCORPION and other specialized police forces target the “most vulnerable” and called on law enforcement agencies across the country to investigate their oversaturated forces.
“These are suppression forces,” he said. “These are saturation units. And what they really turn out to be are suppression units. To oppress young sons and daughters, because they are the most vulnerable.”
Politician reaction:Politicians and activists blame Tyre Nichols for deadly traffic stop after video release
Specialized police forces in other cities scrutinize, scandal
Professional police forces are also under scrutiny elsewhere in the country in decades-long scandals.
National Protest:Protests in Memphis, Chicago and New York.Tire his Nichols more expected after the release of his video
Why was the Memphis Police Department SCORPION created?
Memphis Police Department will launch SCORPION as a 40-person unit with teams in so-called crime “hot spots” in late 2021, according to a video announcing the launch of the unit, amid soaring homicide rates.
Two months after its launch, Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland delivered a city speech, claiming the team was responsible for 566 arrests between October 2021 and January 23, 2022. praised the unit.
Why Special Forces Can Transform Into ‘Uncontrolled Police’
Philip Stinson, a professor of criminal justice at Bowling Green State University in Ohio, said the purpose of saturation units is often to make the police aware of their presence and intimidate residents.
But Stinson said these specialized units were “problematic in many respects.”
According to Stinson, in surveillance footage, the officer involved in Nichols’ murder appears to be wearing a “paramilitary uniform” rather than a typical police uniform, and parts of the vehicle are unmarked. looks like.
If officers wear plain clothes or use unmarked vehicles, “you may feel like you’re using anonymity to commit fraud,” says John Jay College of Criminal Justice. said Keith Taylor, an adjunct assistant professor at
Special Forces May Feel ‘Out of Control’, Needs More Oversight, Expert Says
Duane T. Roynes Sr., professor of urban studies and Africana studies at the University of Rhodes in Memphis, said celebrating Special Forces caused many of its members to feel “out of control” and the problem of excessive use of force. said it could encourage
Taylor, a former deputy commissioner of the New York Police Department, said in some cases a specialized unit would be needed, but that it would need to be carefully supervised. I have.”
Hans Menos of the California-based Center for Policing Equity also said the SCORPION team may have acted with little oversight and targeted communities of color.
Davis acknowledged the lack of supervisors at the police station and said city officials had promised to add more.
“The lack of oversight in this case was a big problem,” Davis said.
Contributed by Laura Testino, Commercial Appeal. Craig Shoup of Nashville, Tennessee. Rick Jervis and Jessica Guynn, USA TODAY. Associated Press
Contact Christine Fernando at cfernando@usatoday.com or follow her on Twitter. @christinetfern.
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