The Memphis Police Department has announced that it has disbanded the unit known as the Scorpion special unit, following accusations of murder against several of its officers. The unit, which was made up of 50 officers, had been established with the goal of reducing crime levels in specific areas. However, the unit has now been permanently deactivated after videos emerged showing officers brutally beating Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old black man, on January 7th.
In a statement, the Memphis Police Department acknowledged that the actions of a few members of the Scorpion unit had brought dishonor to the unit’s name, and that it was imperative for the department to take proactive steps in the healing process for all those impacted. The Nichols family also released a statement through their lawyers, expressing their support for the decision to disband the unit and calling it both appropriate and proportional to the tragic death of Tyre Nichols.
The five officers involved in the incident, Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Desmond Mills Jr, Emmitt Martin III, and Justin Smith, have been fired and charged with various offenses, including second-degree murder, aggravated assault, aggravated kidnapping, official misconduct and official oppression. Four of the five have been released on bail.
The disbandment of the Scorpion unit was met with cheers from protesters who had gathered in front of the Memphis Police headquarters to demand change to a system of policing that they said has a history of brutalizing black people in Memphis and across the country. Community organizers have pledged to continue to pressure Memphis Police Chief CJ Davis and city officials until the community’s demands are met, including reforms to the department’s organized crime unit.
In an interview with BBC News, Chief Davis stated that the Scorpion unit was created with the intention of being “more responsive” and “more proactive” to gun violence in the city, but acknowledged that the officers who brutally beat Tyre Nichols had “decided to go off the rails.” She also announced that the department is conducting an individual evaluation of all units in an effort to be fully transparent to the community.
However, some protesters believe that the problem of police violence is deeply rooted and cannot be addressed through reforms alone. They argue that the history of policing in America began with slave patrols and that the system has been built against black bodies, and thus, the only way to fix it is to start again.
The Scorpion unit was launched in October 2021 and had made 566 arrests, seized over $100,000 in cash, 270 vehicles, and 253 weapons by January 2022. However, following the death of Tyre Nichols, several complaints have emerged from local residents who have had negative encounters with the unit.
