Tyre Nichols, a black man aged 29, died following a fight with police during a traffic check, which has brought up the topic of police reform once more in the news cycle.
The five cops were dismissed and each faced charges of official oppression, official misconduct, aggravated assault, and second-degree murder.
However, a different narrative needs to focus on how these officers were initially accepted onto the police. That could be due to low standards, as was noted in a New York Post story.
According to the investigation, Tadarrius Bean and Demetrius Haley, two of the cops, both joined in August 2020, more than two years after the agency eased the requirements for schooling to become an officer.
This includes removing the requirement for an associate’s degree and 54 college credits in order to join the force. Officers with five years of work experience may also be hired.
On another report, it was known that one of the five former Memphis police officers charged with Tyre Nichols’ murder is claimed to have assaulted an inmate over eight years ago.
On Saturday, ex-offender Cordarlrius Sledge told The New York Post, “That could have been me.” “I could be dead.”
Demetrius Haley, a former Memphis police officer who was employed as a corrections officer at the time of the beating on May 16, 2015, was implicated in the incident, according to allegations made by Sledge, 34, in a 2016 lawsuit.
Sledge’s accusations came to light after frightening footage, which was made public on Friday, revealed the unrelenting abuse suffered by Nichols, 29, who was stopped for a traffic violation on January 7 close to his mother’s house in Memphis. 3 days later, he passed away.
Sledge, 34, alleged in a 2016 complaint that Demetrius Haley, 30, then a corrections officer and one of the five ex-Memphis police officers, beat him on May 16, 2015, inside the Shelby County Division of Corrections.
According to court documents, Haley and another cop hit him in the face while looking for a cellphone. He said that a third guard had pushed him into a sink head-first.
Sledge claimed that while Haley, who started working for the Memphis police department in August 2020, did not apologize, the jail warden did. Haley refuted claims that he attacked Sledge in court documents. Sledge’s failure to present the court with the needed information led to the dismissal of the lawsuit.
According to Fox 13, the agency shown signals of difficulty hiring new police officers by providing $15,000 signing incentives in 2021 and 2022.
Approximately 500 cops had been cut from MPD as of January 2022, as reported by the Memphis Police Association.
Last year, the department again dropped the bar for prospective hires, doing away with the timed physical test and reducing the number of college credits required from 54 to only 24.
Additionally, the department disclosed that it was even providing exemptions for those who had been found guilty of felonies.
Independent Writer. Marketing and communications strategist for politicians, artists, public figures & corporate brands for more than 10 years. Contact: @alejandrosbasso (Twitter)
Escritor independiente. Consultor en marketing y comunicaciones de políticos, artistas, figuras públicas y marcas por más de 10 años. Contacto: @alejandrosbasso (Twitter)