The Memphis City Council had been set to vote Tuesday on whether to retain or replace Memphis Police Director Cerelyn “CJ” Davis, who has been under heavy scrutiny since Tyre Nichols was beaten to death.
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — The Memphis police chief who was in charge when
Mills pleaded guilty in November to federal charges of excessive force and obstruction of justice. The plea is part of a larger deal in which prosecutors said he had also agreed to plead guilty later to state charges. The four other officers have pleaded not guilty to the state and federal charges.
The officers said they pulled Nichols over because he was driving recklessly. But Davis, the police director, has said no evidence was found to support that allegation.
Davis disbanded the Scorpion unit after the beating, and she was initially praised for quickly firing the officers. But Nichols’ death shined a bright light on the department and Davis. Calls for her ouster increased among activists and citizens frustrated with an increase in overall crime, which includes a city-record 398 homicides and a jump in auto burglaries to more than 14,000 last year.
The U.S. Department of Justice announced an investigation in July into how Memphis police officers use force and conduct arrests, one of several patterns and practices investigations it has undertaken in other cities. The probe is looking at how officers use force and conduct arrests, and it answers longstanding calls for such an investigation from critics of the way police treat minorities in majority-Black Memphis.
In March, the Justice Department said it was conducting a separate review concerning the use of force, de-escalation strategies and specialized units in the police department.
Davis, the city and the former officers are also being sued by Nichols’ mother in federal court. Filed in April, the $550 million lawsuit blames them for his death and accuses Davis of allowing the Scorpion unit’s aggressive tactics to go unchecked despite warning signs.
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