Memphis Police Department linked to pattern of excessive force: DOJ

The Memphis Police Department was found to be in violation of the U.S. Constitution due to a pattern of misconduct involving discrimination and excessive force, according to an investigation by the Department of Justice.

Its findings revealed that the police department engaged in "a pattern or practice of excessive force" and routinely exhibited discrimination against Black people and those with behavioral health disabilities, the DOJ said in a statement on Wednesday.

The report also identified deficiencies in policy, training, supervision and accountability that it said contributed to the unlawful conduct.

In addition to those allegations, the DOJ said its investigation found that the police department routinely conducts unlawful stops, searches and arrests.

The report also cited "serious concerns about MPD's treatment of children."

Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division Kristen Clarke said the investigation had "identified troubling policing practices that impact some of Memphis' most vulnerable residents — its children."

The DOJ report also named the city of Memphis, Tennessee, as being complicit in practices that violated civil rights and federal law.

"The people of Memphis deserve a police department and city that protects their civil and constitutional rights, garners trust and keeps them safe," said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division.

"We acknowledge Memphis' cooperation during our investigation and look forward to instituting reforms that will address the harms we identified," she said.

While the DOJ acknowledged that both the city of Memphis and the MPD cooperated fully during the course of the investigation, the city said in a letter on Wednesday that it would not agree to enter into a consent decree with the DOJ.

That agreement would have involved a court-appointed monitor overseeing the implementation of agreed-upon reforms to address the problems identified during the course of the investigation.

"This process and these findings uncovered that our city has a lot of work to do," said Acting U.S. Attorney Reagan Fondren for the Western District of Tennessee. "Memphians are rightly concerned with gun violence and violent crime. They are also rightly concerned about the collective approach that we must take to tackle these issues."

Fondren said that she looked forward to addressing those issues by working with the police department and its chief, Cerelyn "CJ" Davis, as well as city partners and Memphis Mayor Paul Young.

The Justice Department launched its investigation in the wake of the 2023 death of Tyre Nichols.

Nichols was beaten after running away during a traffic stop in January 2023 in Memphis and died three days later.

Three former Memphis police officers were charged with violating his civil rights through excessive use of force, unlawful assault, failing to intervene in the assault and failing to render medical aid.

They claimed at the time that they were only following department protocol.