Justice Department opens investigation into Memphis police conduct
The Department of Justice opened an investigation into the city of Memphis and its police department for alleged discriminatory policing and civil rights violations against residents, officials announced at a news conference on Thursday.
"There are grounds to open this investigation now," said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the department's civil rights division.
Clarke said the decision was not based on a single incident or event or confined to a specific unit but was the result of interviews with residents and community members that reported multiple incidents involving police officers. The investigation comes nearly seven months after the January 10 death of Tyre Nichols when he was stopped by Memphis police during a routine traffic stop.
Community members said officers "used force punitively" when faced with behavior "they perceived to be insolent," Clarke said. There have also been reports that officers use force against people who are already restrained or in custody, Clarke said. The allegations are sufficient to warrant a full investigation into the police department, Clarke said.
The subsequent investigation will focus on three main issues, Clarke said: whether the police department makes unlawful stops, searches and arrests, whether the police department engages in a pattern or practice of using excessive force, and whether the police department engages in racially discriminatory policing patterns toward Black residents of the city.
Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man, was brutally beaten by police and died of blunt force injuries to his head. During the beating seen in surveillance video, Nichols was seen calling for his mother and asking the officers what he did.
His death was ruled a homicide by the Shelby County medical examiner.
Five former Memphis police officers were charged with murder in the case. Nichols' family filed a $550 million federal lawsuit against the city. The Justice Department's civil investigation is separate from the criminal and civil cases, officials said.
"The tragic death of Tyre Nichols created enormous pain in the Memphis community and across the country," Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement. Garland said the department is "committed to working cooperatively" with the community so a thorough review can be conducted that "the residents of Memphis deserve."
Investigators will meet with Memphis police officers and commanders, and "participate in ride-alongs to hear directly from officers about the challenges that they face," said Clarke. They will also ask residents to "trust us ... to share their stories, their experiences, and views about public safety in the city," said Clarke.
The Memphis investigation is the ninth such probe into law enforcement opened by the Justice Department during the Biden administration, according to the agency.