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Denison Police Chief Calls Tyre Nichols Incident "Horrific"
Photo Credit: Caleb O/Flickr
Denison Police Chief Brandon Rinnan says an incident like the one that allegedly happened in January in Memphis, Tennessee is a serious setback for improving community-based law enforcement.
Body camera footage released Friday allegedly shows the interaction between former Memphis Police Department officers and Tyre Nichols that reportedly led to Nichols’ death.
“It was horrific to see what he went through. I’ve been in law enforcement for 16-17 years and that’s probably one of the worst things I’ve ever seen. It was the exact example of how policing should not be utilized in this country. Especially in the environment we’re in now. Something like that happens and it takes us back 10 steps,” Rinnan says.
He says his thoughts and those of many other police chiefs go out to the family affected by what happened. According to local media reports, Nichols was a 29-year-old male who died a few days after an alleged confrontation during a traffic stop which led to five former officers being arrested on several charges including second-degree murder. Nichols and all the police officers involved are black.
Rinnan says any use of force is rare and the last resort for his officers with public safety being a high priority every day.
“Any time a use of force report comes across my desk I view the body cameras and I also view body cameras at random a lot too just to make sure our officers are using professionalism. I think our guys have done a top-notch job,” Rinnan says.
He also says anyone with concerns about being stopped by an unmarked vehicle can call the communications center.
The funeral for Tyre Nichols is Wednesday in Memphis.
