Tyre Nichols’ death fuels push for Memphis police reforms By Reuters

By Nathan Layne and Gabriella Borter

(Reuters) – As soon as next week, the Memphis City Council will consider a raft of reforms aimed at curtailing police violence after the brutal beating of Tyre Nichols by five officers following a traffic stop.

The measures call for more transparency around use-of-force data, increased access to body-camera video and greater power for a citizen review board, according to interviews with council members. City leaders also want to review police hiring.

This isn’t the first time the Tennessee city has grappled with bad policing practices and promised changes. But after Nichols’ beating and subsequent death made Memphis the latest emblem of police brutality against Black Americans, city leaders are facing more pressure than ever to shore up police accountability and hiring standards.

“We cannot allow this moment to pass us by when activism coupled with concern from the community is at its peak,” Memphis City Councilman J.B. Smiley Jr. said. “The time is now for Memphis and this nation.”

Videos released last week showed Nichols crying out for his mother as the five officers kicked, punched and beat him with a baton on Jan. 7, a use of force Police Chief Cerelyn Davis described as “inhumane.” Nichols, 29, died in a hospital three days later. 

The beating occurred despite the use-of-force policies that Memphis and other U.S. cities pledged to strengthen after the 2020 death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police.

Those policies included using only necessary amounts of force and a duty to intervene to stop dangerous conduct by a fellow officer.

Some activists criticized the policies as not enough to overhaul a law enforcement system they viewed as racially biased. The Memphis Police Department did not respond to queries about how the policies were enforced.

Smiley, a Democrat, said he is confident Nichols’ death will embolden the 13-member council to support three ordinances, or local laws, that he plans to introduce at their meeting next Tuesday to bring about more accountability.

Smiley said his proposals would require police to disclose detailed data on traffic stops and excessive force complaints; mandate that body-camera video of incidents involving allegations of misconduct be shared with the council’s attorney and security…