Strickland announces federal review of MPD operations and use of force
The city of Memphis will contract with an outside organization to do an investigation into the Memphis Police Department after the death of Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old FedEx employee and father who died three days after being brutally beaten by police officers.
“We need to do everything we can to make sure this doesn’t happen again,” Strickland told The Commercial Appeal Friday.
The official announcement about the review came in Strickland's "weekly update," emailed out Friday afternoon.
Memphis has engaged the Department of Justice’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (“COPS”), through the Collaborative Reform Initial Technical Assistant Center (“CRI-TAC”) program and the International Association of Police Chiefs (IACP) to conduct a review of the Memphis Police Department, Strickland wrote.
"While we no doubt have a long way to go on the road to healing, hopefully through our actions, citizens will see we are working to be better and that we are heading down the right path," Strickland wrote.
More:She came to Memphis a 'rising star.' Why Chief CJ Davis is facing her toughest test yet.
Strickland told The Commercial Appeal it was Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn “CJ” Davis who said the department needed an outside entity to investigate. The investigation will look at how the police department operates, especially with regard to special units and use of force, he said.
The officers who beat Nichols were members of MPD's SCORPION Unit, which has since been disbanded.
The death of Nichols has caused intense scrutiny of the Memphis Police Department, especially after graphic video was released showing him being beaten by officers.
His celebration of life service drew national and local officials, including U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris. Family members of George Floyd, Eric Garner and Breonna Taylor, each of whom was killed by officers in other states, also attended.
Nichols' family, attorneys and activists have called for his death to lead to reform, both through legislation and policy changes in the police department.
Katherine Burgess covers county government and religion. She can be reached at katherine.burgess@commercialappeal.com, 901-529-2799 or followed on Twitter @kathsburgess.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Strickland announces federal review of MPD operations and use of force
