The five officers, who were also black, belonged to Memphis’ Scorpion unit.
Memphis, US:
Memphis police on Saturday permanently deactivated the unit of five officers who fatally beat a young black man, the latest example of police brutality to spark a nationwide call for reform.
The shocking death of 29-year-old Tyree Nichols has reopened debate about officer violence across the United States, especially after the country made promises to reform following the death of another black man, George Floyd, in 2020.
The five officers, who were also black, belonged to Memphis’ Scorpion unit, which was launched in November 2021 with the intention of reducing illegal activity in crime hotspots, including blanketing those areas with more officers.
But on Saturday, the MPD said in a statement, “It was in everyone’s best interest to permanently deactivate the Scorpion unit.”
“The officers currently assigned to the unit agree unreservedly with this next step,” it added.
Nichols’ family welcomed the decision in a statement from their attorneys, calling it “a decent and just decision both fair and proportional to the tragic death of Tyre Nichols, and to all citizens of Memphis.”
“We hope that other cities will take similar action with their saturation police units in the near future to instill more trust in their communities,” the family said.
Police Chief Cerelin Davis, who created the unit, previously told CNN it was successful, at least initially, with less crime in 2022 after a record number of 345 murders last year, a number he said “results from the community.” Anger” “
The unit, which stands for Street Crime Operation to Restore Peace in Our Neighborhoods, was aimed at “reducing gun violence, becoming visible in communities and affecting the increase in crime”.
The number of people who will die during interactions with police is set to reach a 10-year high in 2022, at 1,186, despite nationwide calls for police reform following Floyd’s death, according to the website Mapping Police Violence.
The officers involved in Nichols’ death face charges of second-degree murder, as well as aggravated assault and aggravated kidnapping.
Even after the release Friday of graphic video showing the beating, some key questions remain unanswered, primarily why Nichols was restrained.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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