Some of the five officers in Memphis charged with killing Tyre Nichols were appointed to the Scorpion unit, which is known for having a 'zero tolerance' policy on crime
When Memphis, a city in southwest Tennessee, had a record number of homicides in 2021 for the second year in a row, many were calling for action.
The name stands for the Street Crimes Operation to Restore Peace In Our Neighborhoods - yet officers from that same unit were responsible for thePlease use Chrome browser for a more accessible video playerMemphis authorities have released video footage of Tyre Nichols being held down by officers and struck repeatedly as he screamed for his mother.
Made up of 40 officers divided into four 10-member teams, the unit was tasked with addressing violent crime and investigating car thefts and gangs.In January last year, Mayor Jim Strickland promoted the unit as part of the solution to the high homicide rate, stating that in its first three months, it had made hundreds of arrests and seized hundreds of cars and weapons.
Police initially said Mr Nichols had been stopped for reckless driving on 7 January and that a"confrontation" occurred in an effort to detain him.He died three days after the assault.'Unit is an excuse to harass everyday residents' Chelsea Glass, a community organiser in Memphis who is an advocate for criminal justice reform, called Scorpion a street crime-fighting team relying on traffic stops as excuses to find violent criminals and weapons."But it's really just stop-and-frisk on wheels. It doesn't matter what name you slap on it."The five officers have been charged with second-degree murder, official misconduct, aggravated kidnapping, official oppression and aggravated assault.
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