“The brutal beating and subsequent death of 29-year-old Tyre Nichols at the hands of five police officers in Memphis, Tennessee is both indefensible and criminal. The incident captured on police body-worn cameras is expected to be released later today by the District Attorney’s Office. It will likely evoke outrage, disgust, and anger. These reactions are understood and warranted.
The five male Memphis police officers charged with murder in connection with the incident have tarnished the law enforcement badge, turned their backs on the oath of office, and disgraced a close-knit community, their department, and the country. We are all watching.
Their abuses of power and reckless actions have left a stain on the law enforcement profession; a profession built on courage, integrity, empathy, and respect. We applaud the immediate and decisive action by the Memphis Chief of Police and the District Attorney. Officers, who abuse their power and act unethically, immorally, and illegally, should face the consequences.
The Columbia Police Department works incredibly hard every day to earn the trust and respect of citizens. Each citizen contact is an opportunity for us to demonstrate our commitment to professional, accountable, and ethical policing. Treating everyone with empathy, dignity, and respect is what professional 21st-century policing looks like — and that is how we police in Columbia.
In the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Junior, ‘Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.'”