(CNN) The Department of Justice will conduct a review of the Memphis Police Department following the fatal police beating of Tire Nichols, the department’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services announced Wednesday, ahead of an expected release in about 20 hours. footage from Nichols’ January encounter with police.
The review, requested by the mayor of Memphis, Tennessee, and the city’s police chief, will cover “policies, practices, training, data, and processes related to use-of-force, de-escalation, and special MPD units,” according to a news release.
A public report outlining the office’s findings and recommendations will be released at the end of the review, the release said.
The news comes as officials are expected Wednesday to release more footage from the night of the beating, as well as some records from the city’s now-completed internal investigation into 13 police officers and four fire department personnel, a Memphis official said.
A day earlier, the official revealed that a seventh police officer had been fired and others had been suspended or left the force after the brutal encounter in the western Tennessee city. Previously, authorities said six officers had been fired, five of whom were charged with criminal charges.
The city’s internal investigation into the beatings has been completed, so the city intends to release additional video footage Wednesday afternoon, Memphis Chief Legal Officer Jennifer Sink told a city council committee Tuesday morning.
The unreleased footage will notably include audio of what was said after the beating and after an ambulance took Nichols to a hospital, and could play a role in the investigation as his office considers further charges. case, the county prosecutor previously told CNN.
Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man, was repeatedly punched and kicked by Memphis police after a traffic stop and brief foot chase on January 7. Nichols was hospitalized after the beating and died later three days.
Five police officers, also Black, were fired after an internal investigation and charged with criminal charges on January 26.
Body camera videos and surveillance footage from the arrest were released on January 27, showing the severity of the beating to the public and drawing widespread condemnation from residents and police officials. The video shook a nation long accustomed to videos of police brutality — particularly against people of color — and prompted protests and vigils in Memphis and other major cities. in the US.
The video released in January contradicts what officials said happened in the initial police report filed after Nichols’ beating, the county prosecutor said, and has sparked a renewed national justice debate. in policing and reform.
The Memphis City Council on Tuesday passed several public safety ordinances related to policing. Among them is one establishing an “annual independent review” of the police department’s training academy, and another establishing an independent review process for use of force incidents, as well as the death or serious injury to persons in custody.
In early February, Shelby County prosecutor Steven Mulroy told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer in a video released in January showed “relevant parts” of the initial stop and the beating that followed the foot chase, but the unreleased footage could play a role in the investigations.
Potential charges of “false reporting” related to the initial police report are being investigated, Erica Williams, a spokeswoman for Mulroy’s office, told CNN at the same time.
When asked if anyone new will face criminal charges now that the city’s investigation is over, Williams told CNN on Tuesday: “Not at this time.” Mulroy’s office previously told CNN it would wait for the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation to conclude an investigation before making a decision on more charges.
Tire Nichols died after three days in the hospital. He is 29.
A 7th officer has been fired, and another is likely to retire, too, the city attorney said
The city will also release on Wednesday some records related to the internal investigation of 13 police and four fire personnel, including documents showing what they were investigating, Sink said.
Some investigative files contain information that needs to be redacted, and will be posted online when completed, he added without giving a timeline.
But Sink announced the reason Tuesday: Seven police officers were fired, three were suspended, one was retired and two had their investigations dropped because of the probes, he said.
It was the first time the city announced that the seventh officer had been fired. The man’s name, and details about what the officer is accused of doing, were not immediately released.
In addition, the retired officer is likely to be terminated, Sink said without detailing what the officer was accused of doing.
The city previously said three Memphis fire department personnel who responded to the scene — two emergency medical technicians and a fire lieutenant — were shot, though no criminal charges have been filed. On Tuesday, Sink said a fourth fire department worker had been suspended. The sink is not detailed.
The two fire EMTs did not perform a basic check on Nichols in the first 19 minutes they were on the scene, and the lieutenant remained in a fire truck, according to a state emergency medical services board.
A council member asked Sink if anyone who hit Nichols was part of the police department or the fire department.
“No. All officers … criminally charged,” Sink said.
Those five former Memphis police officers who were indicted in January were arraigned on February 17 on criminal charges.
Five former Memphis police officers are facing criminal charges in connection with the death of Tire Nichols. Above: Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III. Bottom: Desmond Mills Jr., Justin Smith.
Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Justin Smith, Emmitt Martin III and Desmond Mills Jr. each facing charges of second-degree murder, aggravated assault, aggravated kidnapping, official misconduct and official oppression. Second-degree murder in Tennessee is considered a Class A felony punishable by 15 to 60 years in prison.
Their lawyers entered not guilty pleas for them. They will be brought back to court on May 1.
The five accused officers are part of the department’s special SCORPION unit, which was launched in 2021 to increase violent crime in Memphis. Memphis police announced the unit could be permanently deactivated shortly after video of Nichols’ arrest was released in January, and the DOJ said Wednesday it would separately review special units across the U.S. and will develop a guide for their use in addition to the Memphis review. Police department.
Shortly after the video of Nichols’ arrest was released in January, Memphis police announced that the unit would be permanently deactivated as a sign that the department was taking “proactive steps in the recovery process for to all those affected.”
The police in February identified a sixth officer who had been fired. Preston Hemphill, who is White, said he was accused of violating department policies including those covering personal conduct and truth.
Seven officers — in addition to the six fired at the time — face disciplinary action for policy violations, Sink said on Feb. 7. Tuesday’s announcement covers disciplinary decisions for all 13.
In addition, two Shelby County Sheriff’s Office deputies who were on the scene have been suspended for five days each without pay for their parts in the case, according to a sheriff’s office news release obtained by CNN affiliate WHBQ.
CNN’s Pamela Kirkland, Shimon Prokupecz and Nick Valencia contributed to this report.
