TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Julia Wilburn on Mar 16, 2023

An investigation by The Marshall Project and The Institute for Public Service Reporting at the University of Memphis found incidents of aggressive policing throughout the ranks of the 1,900-member Memphis Police Department, according to an article published in the Commercial Appeal. A review of more than 200 arrest reports from spring of last year shows that rank-and-file officers, as well as SCORPION members, used overzealous methods in their encounters. With regards to the SCORPION unit in particular, ABC24 in Memphis reports that the district attorney’s office is reviewing past cases involving the unit, which was dissolved after Tyre Nichols’ death. Several attorneys say they have had cases dismissed or plea offers made because of the unstable credibility of officers in that unit. "You cannot possibly put any of these officers on the stand to testify about arrests they made," Murray Wells of Wells & Associates said.