Attorneys for the family of Tyre Nichols have released a letter calling for an end to law enforcement units like the Memphis Police Department’s SCORPION unit.

The call from attorneys Ben Crump and Antonio Romanucci follows reporting by The Institute for Public Service Reporting and The Daily Memphian showing that the five officers terminated after conducting a traffic stop on Nichols were a part of SCORPION.

Terminated MPD officers were part of SCORPION unit

“Whatever happened to Tyre, there was a cultural mindset to it, and it’s not unique to Memphis,” the letter says. “From Baltimore to Chicago and D.C., units like the SCORPION unmarked cars — regardless of what the units are named — cause terror in minority communities. In 2017, eight detectives in Baltimore’s Gun Trace Task Force (GTTF) were convicted for robbery and racketeering.

“Together we are calling for national change in this type of policing. We ask that U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland and the Department of Justice (DOJ) begin an investigation into cities that use these tactics and determine if they are effective in reducing crime and ask for all data on injuries and deaths related to ‘saturation patrols’ as well as a compilation of complaints from citizens.”

The attorneys also called on the Major Cities Chiefs Association to join the DOJ in the analysis.

“No one escapes the Scorpions,” the letter reads.

President Joe Biden released a statement on the Nichols case, calling for peace and transparency.

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“Tyre’s death is a painful reminder that we must do more to ensure that our criminal justice system lives up to the promise of fair and impartial justice, equal treatment and dignity for all,” the statement reads. 

“To deliver real change, we must have accountability when law enforcement officers violate their oaths, and we need to build lasting trust between law enforcement, the vast majority of whom wear the badge honorably, and the communities they are sworn to serve and protect.

“Today, we all must re-commit ourselves to the critical work that must be done to advance meaningful returns.”

The five officers fired were believed to be working as part of the SCORPION unit when they stopped Nichols for alleged reckless driving earlier this month. 

“We insist on reform, transparency and better oversight of these ‘saturation’ units, or for their removal as a tactic in American policing. Our communities will be far better for it,” the letter from the attorneys ends.

Charges filed for MPD officers involved in Nichols’ death

The five officers terminated after the stop of Nichols are Demetrius Haley and Tadarrius Bean, both hired in August 2020; Emmitt Martin III and Justin Smith, both hired in March 2018; and Desmond Mills Jr., hired in March 2017.

All five were booked in 201 Poplar Ave., and all had posted bond by early Friday morning, Jan. 27. Indictments were announced earlier in the day by Shelby County District Attorney General Steve Mulroy. The body camera footage will be released Friday, Jan. 27, after 6 p.m.

“Not only does there need to be a change in policy, but there needs to be significant training to deprogram these officers from that sort of pack homicide mentality that we saw them exercise on Tyre,” Romanucci told The Daily Memphian.

City of Memphis officials announced later that two Memphis Fire Department employees were also terminated in relation to the Nichols’ case.

The SCORPION unit, which stands for Street Crimes Operation to Restore Peace in Our Neighborhoods, was created in fall 2021 to patrol what MPD has identified as high-crime areas.

Mulroy talks MPD indictments, says Nichols video will be released Friday

Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland said during a January 2022 address that the unit had made 566 arrests in the first three months, seizing $103,000 in cash, 270 vehicles and 253 weapons.

The SCORPION unit is a proactive policing method that MPD has pursued over many years, including data-driven policing programs such as Blue CRUSH.

“The MPD ... uses data to deploy officers to high-crime areas with a direct focus on reducing violent crime, being visible, and uplifting the community,” MPD public information officer Christopher Williams said in a written statement Jan. 11.

That kind of policing has become popular across the globe with new technology, but it’s also been decried as an easier way to violate civil rights.

The National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers called for an end to data-driven policing technologies, predictive crime models and any other system that subjects individuals to increased police surveillance in November 2020.

Strickland releases statement, confirms Friday release of Tyre Nichols video

“These tools perpetuate the racial profiling & hyper-criminalization of communities of color & historically overpoliced groups,” the NACDL statement on data-driven policing reads.

“Understanding this technology is already in use in many communities, NACDL also supports the adoption of policies governing transparency & accountability that detail the conditions of use by law enforcement & accessibility to all relevant information for defense lawyers whose cases involve such tools.”

The Daily Memphian had previously filed a Tennessee Public Records Act request for MPD policy on how the department uses data-driven policing and community-driven policing.

That request was closed Wednesday, Jan. 25, after city officials said there were no responsive records.

MPD Chief Cerelyn “C.J.” Davis released a taped segment Wednesday after 10 p.m. saying that the department will launch a review of specialized units at the department.

Two fired police officers in Nichols case post bond

“In light of the horrific circumstances surrounding the death of Tyre Nichols, it is absolutely incumbent upon me, your chief, to address the status of what the Memphis Police Department is doing, has done and will continue to do in furtherance of finding truth in this tragic loss, ensuring we communicate with honesty and transparency and that there is absolute accountability for those responsible for Tyre’s death,” Davis said in the video, released more than two weeks after the traffic stop beating of Nichols occurred.

Davis said in her statement that when the video is released, she expects viewers to feel what the Nichols family feels.

Davis also said there are more officers within the department who are under investigation for violations of departmental policy, some more egregious than others.