The Memphis Police Department announced on Saturday that the controversial SCORPION unit is being permanently disbanded. The five officers who were fired and charged with second-degree murder in the beating death of Tyre Nichols were in the unit.
It was previously reported that at least two officers were a part of the unit but a spokesperson confirmed on Saturday that all five officers were SCORPION unit officers.
“In the process of listening intently to the family of Tyre Nichols, community leaders and the uninvolved officers who have done quality work in their assignments, it is in the best interest of all to permanently deactivate the SCORPION Unit,” the police department said in a statement. “The officers currently assigned to the unit agree unreservedly with this next step.”
The Street Crimes Operation to Restore Peace in Our Neighborhoods, or SCORPION unit, was a so-called “saturation unit” that would pack high-crime areas with a large number of officers. Part of the strategy was to reduce crime through the visibility of the officers, but they were also intended to focus on violent crimes like homicides, robberies, assaults, and other felonies. Nichols was initially pulled over for alleged reckless driving.
The statement from the police department put the blame on “a few” who cast a “cloud of dishonor” but said the decision to deactivate the unit was done to help the community heal.
“While the heinous actions of a few casts a cloud of dishonor on the title SCORPION, it is imperative that we, the Memphis Police Department take proactive steps in the healing process of all those impacted. The Memphis Police Department remains committed to serving our community and taking every measure possible to rebuild the trust that has been negatively affected by the death of Mr. Tyre Nichols,” the statement reads.
The unit was launched less than two years ago. It was temporarily deactivated after Nichols’ death. A lawyer for his family, Antonio Romanucci, has been calling for its permanent deactivation.
Romanucci and co-counsel Ben Crump released a statement praising the decision and calling on other cities to follow suit.
“The Nichols family and their legal team find the decision to permanently disband this unit to be both appropriate and proportional to the tragic death of Tyre Nichols, and also a decent and just decision for all citizens of Memphis. We hope that other cities take similar action with their saturation police units in the near future to begin to create greater trust in their communities. We must keep in mind that this is just the next step on this journey for justice and accountability, as clearly this misconduct is not restricted to these specialty units. It extends so much further.”
Protests in response to body camera footage of Nichols’ beating and arrest started in multiple cities on Friday and have continued Saturday, including in Washington DC, Memphis, and Atlanta where protesters are also fighting against the construction of a $90 million law enforcement training center nicknamed “Cop City.”