The Justice Department announced Wednesday that it will review the Memphis Police Department's use-of-force policies, de-escalation strategies, and specialized units in response to the fatal beating of Tire Nichols during a arrest .
The review was requested by the mayor and the city's police chief, the department said. In a separate effort, it will examine the use of specialized units across the country and produce guidance for police chiefs and mayors on their use, according to the announcement.
“In the wake of the tragic death of Tire Nichols, the Department of Justice has heard from police chiefs across the country who are evaluating the use of specialized units and, when used, the proper management, supervision, and accountability of such units. said Deputy Attorney General Vanita. Gupta.
The US Department of Justice previously opened a civil rights investigation into Nichols' death.
On Wednesday, the city had planned to publish Some 20 hours of video and audio related to the arrest of the 29-year-old motorist who died on January 10, three days after his violent arrest. Legal Director Jennifer Sink mentioned the release of the video during a City Council committee meeting Tuesday.
But the release was put on hold Wednesday after a judge granted a motion by defense attorneys for five officers charged in Nichols' death. The judge ordered that any release of video, audio, reports and personnel files by City of Memphis employees related to the Nichols investigation, including the results of administrative hearings, must wait "until the state and defendants have reviewed this information.
Once released, the additional video will add to already public footage from police body cameras and a surveillance camera that has given the world a detailed look at police beating Nichols.
Authorities have named six officers who have already been fired in the case, including the five facing second-degree murder charges. Those five officers' own body cameras recorded them beating Nichols, supporting the severely injured Nichols in handcuffs against an unmarked police car, and then ignoring him as he struggled to stay upright. They have pleaded not guilty.
The six officers previously fired for their roles in the arrest and beating of Nichols were members of the Memphis police Scorpion unit, an anti-crime task force that residents have accused of violent tactics. Davis initially championed the unit after Nichols' death, but later disbanded it. Officers who were part of the Scorpion unit but were not fired have been transferred to other units, Davis said.
Police said Nichols was suspected of reckless driving when he was arrested Jan. 7, but no verified evidence of a moving violation has emerged in public documents or video footage. Davis has said he has seen no evidence to justify the arrest or the officers' response.
Discipline for those involved in the arrest has been extended to the Memphis Fire Department and the Shelby County Sheriff's Office, where two officers have been suspended. The fire department said two of them "failed to conduct a proper assessment of Mr. Nichols' patient," while the third, a lieutenant, remained in the fire truck with the driver.
Review of Memphis police's use of force, de-escalation policies, and specialized units will be handled by the Justice Department's Collaborative Reform Initiative Technical Assistance Center, or COPS office. The office has received more than $20 billion to promote community policing in the US, officials said.
The office will issue a public report outlining its findings and recommendations after the review is complete, officials said.
