The Memphis Police Division has deactivated its SCORPION Unit, the duty power on the middle of Nichols’ demise, the division mentioned Saturday.
The choice got here after Chief Cerelyn Davis met with different members of the unit, who agreed with the deactivation, based on a press release from the division.
“Within the technique of listening intently to the household of Tyre Nichols, neighborhood leaders, and the uninvolved officers who’ve accomplished high quality work of their assignments, it’s in the perfect curiosity of all to completely deactivate the SCORPION Unit,” the assertion mentioned.
All 5 officers fired and charged in reference to Nichols’ demise have been within the unit, which had been inactive because the deadly encounter.
The 40-officer SCORPION unit, which stands for Avenue Crimes Operation to Restore Peace in Our Neighborhoods, launched in November 2021 and targeted on “excessive crime hotspots,” the division mentioned on the time.
Ben Crump, the legal professional representing the household, had repeatedly referred to as to finish the unit.
“You might have a person actually laying down in misery, dying, and persons are simply speaking like that is enterprise as typical. Had Tyre not succumbed to his accidents, what number of extra instances would they’ve accomplished this and what number of instances have they accomplished it earlier than?” he instructed ABC Information on Friday.
