The Justice Department has launched a civil rights investigation into the Memphis police. This is Kristen Clarke, assistant attorney general at the DOJ.

Kristen Clarke: “We received multiple reports of officers escalating encounters with community members, resulting in excessive force. There are also indications that officers may use force punitively when faced with behavior they perceive to be insolent. The information we reviewed also shows that officers may use force against people who are already restrained or in custody.”

The targeting and abuse of Black residents by Memphis police came under a national spotlight following the January killing of Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man who was pepper-sprayed and fatally beaten by police during a traffic stop.