The Memphis Police Department said it has permanently deactivated its Scorpion unit following the death of Tyre Nichols.
“In the process of carefully listening to Tyree Nichols’ family, community leaders, and non-involved officers who do quality work in their assignments, it is in everyone’s best interest to permanently deactivate the Scorpion Unit,” the department said. A statement on Saturday.
“Officers currently assigned to the unit have agreed unreservedly to this next step,” the statement said. While the heinous actions of some have cast a cloud of disrespect upon the SCORPION title, it is imperative that we, the Memphis Police Department, take proactive steps in the healing process for all those affected. “
The news comes a day after authorities released video footage showing Nicholas being punched and kicked during a Jan. 7 traffic stop. The 29-year-old died three days later on January 10.
All five officers were members of Scorpion, which stands for Street Crime Operations to Restore Peace in Our Neighborhoods. The vaunted anti-violence unit was launched in November 2021 as the city’s homicide rate rose and the community called for action.
Attorneys for Nichols’ family, Benjamin Crump and Antonio Romanucci, said in a statement that removing the unit was just one step toward justice.
“The Nichols family and their legal team find the decision to permanently disband this unit to be appropriate and proportionate to the tragic death of Tyre Nichols, and a civil and just decision for all the citizens of Memphis,” they said in a joint statement. Saturday.
“We hope that other cities will take similar action with their saturation police units,” Jody said.
The Memphis unit was made up of four teams of officers whose primary focus, according to the department, was to reduce violent crime “and the saturation of hot spot areas throughout the city.” Mayor Jim Strickland promoted the unit as part of the solution in his January 2022 State of the City address, calling it part of an anti-crime strategy that also included gun violence intervention programs and more money for the police department.
The mayor said that in the unit’s first three months, it has made more than 566 arrests and seized $103,000 in cash and 253 weapons.
Five officers – Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Justin Smith and Desmond Mills Jr. – were fired by the police department and charged with second-degree murder, two counts of official misconduct, two counts of aggravated kidnapping, one count of One count of official suppression and aggravated assault.