Some of the five former Memphis police officers accused in the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols were members of a recently created unit that was tasked with tackling rising crime in the city.
When it was launched in 2021, the SCORPION unit – Street Crimes Operation to Restore Peace in Our Neighborhoods – was heralded as a direct response to some of the city’s worst crime, with a focus on homicides, robberies, assaults and other felonies. Mayor Jim Strickland championed the unit, mentioning it during an address to the city in January 2022 and proudly pointing to 566 arrests – 390 of which were for felonies – and more than $103,000 in cash seized.
We train and we re-train these officers, just like specialized units around the country. These officers working in specialized units, you always need to make sure that the supervision is there and present,” she said. Davis also said the department was unaware of any evidence that members of the unit have previously engaged in similar behavior but said an investigation was underway.
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