SUMMARY: The Memphis Police Department has eliminated the special unit to which the officers in the confrontation with Tyre Nichols and his consequent death were attached , but this step to correct police brutality is being criticized as insufficient. A lack of accountability in the law remains the primary issue. The problem of excessive force in law enforcement continues because penalties are not strong enough critics say. The case is being investigated federally and internally.
In 2021, the United State Supreme Court upheld qaulified immunity for police officers even though lower courts attempted to block it. Qaulified immunity is a legal doctrine that protects officials, including police from liability incident son the job unless it violated the Constitution. I
(The Slice): The Scorpion unit that was responsible for the death of Tyre Nichols has been disbanded. The once praised elite group of officers is now gone due to the extreme misconduct of 5 officers involved in the death of Nichols. Police departments around the nation are being called on to evaluate their hiring practices in light on the citcumstances surrounding this high profile death.
Despite the Biden Administration investing in police reform that addressed mental health and training and the international outcry about the death of George Floyd, this incident illuminates that broken policing still persists in the post-Floyd period.
The attitudes and actions of the quintet of attackers has renewed the conversation about the readiness of police candidates to engage with the public. The ability for police to communicate properly in order to de-escalate intense encounters has been emphasized yet in this case, the body cam video captured showed the officers were overly aggressive and made no effort to keep calm from the start.
"Ths video is a watershed moment for America. How much progress have we made since 1992 to 2023?," Attorney Ben Crump said comparing the experience to the Rodney King beating to brought police brutality to the nation's attention 3 decades ago.
Some ideas that have been offered to get to resolution on the chronic pattern of police using excessive force is to mandate uniformity in arrest practices across the country and eliminate immunity so that police can be held accountable. The US Supreme Court upheld qaulified immunity but has said it does not apply in the case if excessive force, a violation of the 4th Amendment.