The Memphis officer Tyre Nichols case: a new example of how to maintain trust and prosecute in the community after fatal police encounters
Weeks after Tyre Nichols was brutalized by Memphis police officers, city law enforcement officials are being hailed for their unusually rapid investigation and transparency compared to similar cases in other US cities.
The officers were charged with second- degree murder and kidnapping on Thursday, after mounting public pressure to release footage of the incident.
Ron Johnson is a former Missouri State Highway Patrol captain and says there has been some mistakes in the handling of police brutality in the past. A lot of things have been done right in this case.
Two years ago, we would not have seen many of the things we are seeing today.
In Taylor’s case, an initial statement from police about the botched raid in which the 26-year-old was killed said there was no forced entry. But officers had used a battering ram to enter her home before shooting her. Minneapolis police initially said Floyd “appeared to be suffering medical distress.” Video shows Officer Chauvin kneeling on Floyd’s neck.
Police initially issued a statement about the confrontation between officers and the driver, who fled on foot. Officers caught up to the man and “another confrontation” resulted in Nichols’ arrest, police said.
On hearing that initial account the Memphis Police Chief thought it was just a strange summary of what happened. She was upset when she saw the video of what happened.
Still, law enforcement and legal analysts are now pointing to Memphis’ actions as a new example of how to maintain trust in the community after fatal police encounters.
Mark O’Mara, a criminal defense attorney and former prosecutor, said that when cops don’t act, they should be held responsible for an event over five minutes. There is a new era in looking at police behavior to see if it can be used to prosecute.
Source: https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/30/us/memphis-police-tyre-nichols-case/index.html
Memphis Police Department and Lawyers Respond to a 911 Call for Speeding-up Investigation of the Walter Scott Shooting in the Broncos on January 15, 2016
An ambulance was called to the scene after Nichols complained of shortness of breath, according to police. He was taken to a nearby hospital in critical condition. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation announced the death of Nichols three days after the incident, according to the statement.
Benjamin Crump, an attorney for the family, said this week that a preliminary autopsy report shows that Nichols was killed by a severe beating.
On January 15, noting the serious nature of the officers’ conduct during the stop,Chief Davis vowed “immediate and appropriate action.” She said that the department was letting the officers know about it.
Last Monday, officials showed Nichols’ family the video in which officers pummeled him like “a human piñata” – in the words of one of the family attorneys.
Areva Martin is an attorney and legal affairs commentator and she said that the police department learned something from high-profile cases.
The officers were brought into custody after being charged by a grand jury and they did the right thing in this case.
Crump, in a news conference Friday, called Memphis’ rapid criminal charges – compared to other cities that have waited months or years in brutality cases – a “blueprint” for police departments, prosecutors and political leaders in future cases.
The Walter Scott case was one that reminded me of when he was killed in the back by a South Carolina policeman after being pulled over for a broken brake light.
Former North Charleston police officer Michael Slager was arrested days after the shooting and indicted on a murder charge two months later. The former officer’s 2016 state murder trial ended in a mistrial but Slager pleaded guilty to violation of civil rights by acting under the color of law in Scott’s killing. He was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison.
They waited until 7 pm on Friday to release the video so they could give the community time to calm down.
Law enforcement said that taking a high tension event and adding something that would increase tension is not the way to go.
Miller said the delay allowed authorities to show the public the wheels of justice were turning quickly. The additional time also allowed officials to “unite the faith community in Memphis, the voice of the family and the family’s lawyers, and the key community contacts” in calling for calm.
Source: https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/30/us/memphis-police-tyre-nichols-case/index.html
What the Memphis Police Department Did to Immediately Afterwards Disengaged from the Memphis Fire Department after the Tying of Tyre Nichols
Police departments across the country – including in Los Angeles, Atlanta, Minneapolis, Nashville and New York – said they were either monitoring events or already had plans in place in case of protests.
Martin said that they have watched many of these cases over the years. “And when (law enforcement authorities) come forward and when they’re transparent and they provide information to the community, we typically see a very peaceful response.”
Protesters took to the interstate after videos went online, blocking both lanes of the bridge connecting the western Tennessee city to Arkansas. No one was arrested.
Nichols was left on the street without help after officers disengaged, though paramedics arrived minutes after.
Law enforcement experts were shocked by the footage. “Black and Brown Americans experience every single day the profound fear and trauma, the pain and the exhaustion that they have been exposed to by this event,” said President Joe Biden, who expressed outrage.
“While the heinous actions of a few casts a cloud of dishonor on the title SCORPION, it is imperative that we, the Memphis Police Department take proactive steps in the healing process of all those impacted. The Memphis Police Department remains committed to serving our community and taking every measure possible to rebuild the trust that has been negatively affected by the death of Mr. Tyre Nichols.”
The Memphis Police Department permanently discontinued the unit on Saturday after listening closely to the family of Tyre Nichols, community leaders and officers who have done quality work in their assignments.
The footage of the fatal encounter has left many unanswered questions, including what the Memphis Police Department did to prevent the tragedy.
She told CNN Saturday that all of this was preventable. “You have officers who are young on the job, unsupervised out there doing what they do on a regular basis. This was not anything that they aren’t accustomed to doing.”
After watching the video, Jones told CNN that there is more that needs to be done despite the positive shift in the handling of brutality cases.
We need to change the culture. We need to hold people accountable. We have to let the legacy of Mr. Nichols be that there is going to be police reform not only here in Memphis but in this country.”
The inaction of two Memphis Fire Department first responders fired after the deadly police beating of Tyre Nichols may have contributed to his death, according to a state emergency medical services board.
The Tennessee Emergency Medical Services Division said in documents from their summary suspension meeting that Advanced Emergency Medical Technician JaMichael Sandridge and EMT Robert Long failed to give any basic or limited advanced skills in emergency care.
The board held a meeting in February to rule on their license suspensions. The summary suspensions will remain in effect while the board decides on a longer-term basis what to do about the two men’s licensure status.
Sandridge and Long did not conduct a primary examination of Nichols for the first 19 minutes they were on scene, including “obtaining vital signs and conducting a full head-to-toe examination,” according to documents from the February 3 meeting.
“Patient T.N. did not receive, from Respondent, high-flow oxygen, did not receive an intravenous line and was not placed on a cardiac monitor for hospital interpretation,” according to the document for Sandridge.
Each of the men did not engage their partner at the event location for the purpose of taking appropriate action to protect the patient from incompetent health care practices of other emergency medical services personnel.
The board was shown a portion of the video that showed the arrival of fire personnel on the scene. After watching the video, they were asked if Long’s and Sandridge’s actions were grounds for suspension.
A third Memphis Fire employee, Lt. Michelle Whitaker, was also terminated, after she was found to have remained in the fire truck when she got to the scene, according to a January statement from Sweat.
O’Neal called a former Memphis EMT, John Holloway, as an expert witness to testify about Long’s response. He noted Long was the lowest-ranking EMT on the scene and that he could have faced assault and battery charges.
“MPD is leaning over the patient in his face, saying loudly that the patient is not going anywhere and that they are not going to uncuff him, impeding patient care,” Long said.
He said that he believed Nichols wouldn’t want to be treated and didn’t say he wouldn’t treat him.
Long said there was no indication that the patient was critical with the information he knew. “I was trying to get information from the patient, even the patient didn’t tell me.”
He said that the fire unit was dispatched for an assault on an officer. Upon arriving on the scene, Long said an MPD officer told him he had been pepper sprayed by his partner, but they had a person in custody who may need their help.
Long testified he was on combat deployment for the US Army last year and returned to his EMT job with Memphis Fire in December. The first day back he was on duty, he was killed by a man.