The Memphis Police Department has announced that it will permanently deactivate its SCORPION unit after officers in the unit were fired and face charges in the death of Tyre Nichols.
“The Memphis Police Department has disbanded a controversial street crime unit whose officers beat 29-year-old Tyre Nichols to death earlier this month. The alleged murder of Nichols set off a wave of protests in the crime-ridden city.
‘It is in the best interest of all to permanently deactivate the Scorpion unit’, Police Director Cerelyn Davis said in a statement on Saturday. Davis added that the officers of the unit agreed ‘unreservedly’ with her decision.
Davis’ announcement came a day after the city of Memphis released body camera footage showing the death of Nichols. Five officers can be seen punching and kicking the man, as well as pepper-spraying and striking him with batons. Nichols attempted to flee after he was dragged from his vehicle at a traffic stop. After his motionless body was handcuffed and propped against a squad car, the officers are seen congratulating each other and exchanging fist-bumps.
Nichols died in a hospital three days after the incident, and the officers involved have been fired and charged with second-degree murder, aggravated assault, aggravated kidnapping, official misconduct, and official oppression. All five officers and Nichols are black.
An internal investigation found that the officers ‘violated multiple department policies, including excessive use of force, duty to intervene, and duty to render aid’, Davis said in a statement last week.
The Scorpion unit, which stands for ‘Street Crimes Operation to Restore Peace in Our Neighborhoods’, was formed in November 2021. Its 40 or so officers were tasked with patrolling ‘high crime hotspots’ in the city, with a particular focus on gang- and drug-related crimes.
Memphis has one of the highest crime rates in the U.S., and regularly tops lists of the country’s most dangerous cities”. -RT
As more than half a century of the failed Great Society has proven, throwing more money at the problem is no form of solution. The same holds true with increased funding for law enforcement.
Seeing how the idea of having blacks in uniform “police their own” has been unsuccessful in quelling black violence, perhaps it is time we throw caution to the wind and allow this battered community to police themselves by authorizing the use of lethal force to defend property.
While vigilantism may fall short of optimal, it beats having to go through this song and dance of feigning concern over police welfare and resources every instance there’s an inevitable crime surge inside war-torn districts that have been deemed hopeless territory by police long ago.