At a news conference on Thursday, officials stated that the Department of Justice has opened an investigation into the city of Memphis and the Memphis police officers over allegations of discriminatory policing and civil rights violations against locals.
According to Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the department’s civil rights division, “There are grounds to open this investigation right away.”
According to Clarke, the decision was reached after speaking with citizens and community members who reported a number of events involving Memphis police officers, rather than being based on a single incident or event or limited to a particular unit. The probe was launched about seven months after Tyre Nichols passed away on January 10 after being stopped during a routine traffic stop by Memphis police officers.
When confronted with behavior that they “perceived to be insolent,” community members said that the Memphis police officers “used force punitively,” Clarke added. According to allegations, the Memphis police officers have also physically abused those who are already detained or shackled, Clarke said. According to Clarke, the claims are sufficient to call for a thorough review of the police force.
According to Clarke, the subsequent investigation will concentrate on three key issues: whether the Memphis police officers conduct illegal stops, searches, and arrests; whether it has a pattern or practice of using excessive force; and whether it has racially discriminatory policing patterns toward the city’s Black residents.
Nichols, a 29-year-old Black male, died from brain injuries sustained after a vicious police beating. Nichols was heard asking the Memphis police officers what he did and calling for his mother during the beating captured on security footage.
The Shelby County medical examiner determined that his death was the result of murder.
In the case, five former Memphis police officers were accused of murder. The family of Nichols sued the city in federal court for $550 million. According to officials, the criminal and civil proceedings are unrelated to the civil probe by the Justice Department.
According to Clarke, investigators will speak with commanders and Memphis police officers and “participate in ride-alongs to hear directly from officers about the challenges that they face,” among other things. Additionally, locals will be urged to “trust us… to share their stories, their experiences, and their views about public safety in the city,” according to Clarke.
According to the organization, the Justice Department has launched nine similar inquiries into law enforcement during the Biden administration, with the Memphis investigation being the ninth.
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