Today, the U.S. Department of Justice stated that it was rescinding its initial findings about the Memphis Police Department and ending the civil rights investigation.
The Department of Justice said in a news release that it was discontinuing a number of civil rights investigations that were centered around the police department during the previous presidential administration.
The beating death of Tyre Nichols in 2023, prompted the opening of the pattern and practice investigation of the MPD and the City of Memphis.
Late last year, the DOJ made its MPD findings public, pointing to excessive force, unlawful discrimination, illegal stops, searches, and arrests.
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon said in a statement, “Today, we are ending the Biden Civil Rights Division’s failed experiment of handcuffing local leaders and police departments with factually unjustified consent decrees.”
