Two Officers Involved in Tyre Nichols Death Were Hired After Recruiting Standards Were Lowered

NBC News is the only one of the five officers who were charged in the death Tyre Nichols. Reports They had both been with the force for just two years and had never worked longer than six years. Demetrius Haley joined our department in August 2020. Haley is a former corrections officers. He was accused of being one the two officers that beat an inmate unconscious in a lawsuit in 2016. In 2018, the court dismissed the case because the inmate failed to properly serve one of the officers with a summons. Tadarrius Bean joined the force in August 2020. His past experience includes working in fast food and AT&T. Bean studied law and criminal justice from the University of Mississippi in 2016 to 2020. He interned at the campus police. His name appeared on the 2020 commencement describing him as earning a Bachelor of Science in criminal justice.

This is important because according to a Report Memphis Police Department announced in 2018 changes to its recruitment standards. To become peace officers, applicants had to pass background checks and take a series of tests. They also had to meet fitness requirements and attend training at the local academy. They must have also reached the age of 21, possessed a valid driver’s license, and had two years of cumulative active military experience with an honorable discharge. Finally, they needed to have an associate’s degree or have completed 54 semester hours of college.

Recruits need to have five year experience in secondary education. “full-time responsible and verifiable employment” A high school diploma is required. The recruit must earn an associate degree within four year of being hired. The Memphis Police Department was looking for new recruits in 2021 after the George Floyd incident. The state legislature had passed a February 2022 budget. bill Before it to eliminate the requirement for officers to live in Memphis. They would need to reside in Shelby County. They also had the option of a “$15,000 sign-on bonus, $10,000 in relocation assistance, and a starting salary of $45,623.” The New York Post Notes The timed physical fitness requirement was waived and felony convictions could also be ignored.

Related: Tyre Nichols Killing Forces BlackActivists To Change the Narrative On Police Racism

The Post Mike Alcazar was an adjunct professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. He is also a retired NYPD detective.

“They’re desperate. They want police officers,” Alcazar said. “They’re going through it, they check off some boxes, saying, ‘Ok, they’re good enough, get them on.’ Police departments have to take the screening process of candidates to be police officers seriously and not rush to hire officers that might not be qualified.”

Additionally, According The Atlanta Journal-Constitution2008 Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn “CJ” Davis was fired by the Atlanta Police Department’s internal affairs division. During her time there, Davis helmed the Atlanta Police Department’s internal affairs division. Two detectives accused Davis of telling them to not investigate Terrill Marion. “T.C.” Crane. Tonya Crane, a police sergeant was Crane’s husband. Police had taken photos of Crane with underage girls. A federal grand jury indicted Terrill Crane for child pornography production. Davis was first demoted from major to lieutenant for her decision and then fired. She was reinstated after challenging the decision through the city’s Civil Service Board. She retired in 2016 as chief of Durham police. Jim Strickland from Memphis selected Davis in April 2021 for her current post and she was confirmed on May.

Although some claim that Tyre Nichols’ death was motivated by racism, the truth is that hatred and corruption, greed, ambition and the ability to abuse power transcend racial lines. Badges, guns, batons, checkbooks, and legislative power in the hands someone who can’t resist the call of power are dangerous. Nichols was defeated by five black officers. Two of the shooters in California’s recent tragedies were Asian. Native American and African tribes have a history of dislocating, enslaving and warring against other tribes, before the arrival Europeans. Millions of European Christians were enslaved by the Barbary Coast slave trading run by Muslims.

This is not an excuse for white people’s actions, but to echo the Apostle Paul’s words: “… all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” The color of one’s skin has nothing to do with one’s character. People of all races can do terrible things if they have the opportunity to gain wealth, power or influence. It is a human failing and not a race issue. It is a human failing, not a racial one. Character is built, and not bestowed.