DOJ: MPD uses ‘needless force’ with kids
A report by the U.S. Department of Justice found that Memphis police discriminate against Black people and people with behavioral disabilities. Those violations are found with adults and with children. Said the report: “Memphis police officers handcuff children as young as 8 years old even when they pose no safety risk.” (Screenshot from the DOJ report)
A report from the U.S. Department of Justice found “serious concerns” with the Memphis Police Department’s “treatment of children and the lasting impact of police encounters on their wellbeing and resilience.” Officers arrested and handcuffed children as young as 8 years old.
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Memphis Police Department U.S. Department of Justice Tyre Nichols Subscriber Only2025 is almost over. Now is the time to support your trusted local news source.
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Laura Testino
Laura Testino is an enterprise reporter on The Daily Memphian’s metro team who writes most often about how education policies shape the lives of children and families. She regularly contributes to coverage of breaking news events and actions of the Tennessee General Assembly. Testino’s journalism career in Memphis began six years ago at The Commercial Appeal, where she began chronicling learning disruptions associated with the pandemic, and continued with Chalkbeat, where she dug into education administration in Memphis. Her reporting has appeared in The New York Times, The Times-Picayune, The Tuscaloosa News and USA Today.
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