Memphis police engage in pattern of discriminatory policing: DOJ report

By Darren Lyn

HOUSTON, US (AA) - The Memphis Police Department in the US state of Tennessee engages in a pattern of discriminatory policing, including using excessive force and targeting Blacks and disabled people, according to a report released Thursday by the US Department of Justice (DOJ).

The investigation found that the police department "engages in a pattern or practice of using excessive force, conducting unlawful stops, searches and arrests and discriminatory policing of Black people and residents with behavioral health disabilities," the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke said in the report.

The federal probe into the Memphis Police Department was launched 17 months ago after motorist Tyre Nichols was beaten to death by five officers who repeatedly punched, kicked and dragged him during a Jan. 7, 2023 traffic stop and arrest.

The officers were fired from the department, arrested on state murder charges and indicted on federal civil rights and witness tampering charges.

In another flagrant example from the investigation, an 8-year-old Black boy with behavioral health issues was grabbed by the responding police officer, lifted into the air and thrown onto a couch.

"Memphis police officers handcuff children as young as 8 years old, even when they pose no safety risk," said the report.

Clarke told reporters at a Thursday news conference that the actions of Memphis police "harm and demean people and they promote distrust, undermining the fundamental safety mission of a police department."

"Let me be clear: these tactics do not make Memphis safer," Clarke added.

Memphis Mayor Paul Young said his administration "takes the DOJ findings seriously, and we’ll review this report with an open mind to the recommendations."

He also emphasized that the police will "continue and expand" on adjustments already made in the past year and a half.

"We agree that our police department should always strive for improvement," Young said at a news conference, but he said he is not ready for the city of Memphis to implement a consent decree which would allow a judge to keep tabs on the police department to make sure officers are in compliance with the court-ordered agreement.

"We don’t believe that the consent decree is the most effective way or efficient way to achieve the results that our community needs and deserves," he added.

Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn "C.J." Davis said her department had already been working to make changes long before Nichols' beating death.

"In the last three years, we have changed over 700 policies…that help to direct process (and) help to improve officer response," said Davis at a news conference. "Community engagement has been a significant part of the work we have been doing."

Nichols’ death prompted immediate changes in the Memphis Police Department's policing practices, in particular, the implementation of the Driving Equality Act in Honor of Tyre Nichols. The measure, passed by the Memphis City Council, prohibits police stops for minor infractions.