The City of Memphis’ administrative investigation into police department employees connected to the night of Tyre Nichols’ arrest is nearing a possible conclusion.
Three of the seven employees currently under investigation had formal hearings on Friday, said the city’s chief legal officer, Jennifer Sink, who addressed City Council members on Tuesday.
Another four MPD members are expected to have hearings Wednesday. The employees, who may not all have been physically present on the scene following Nichols’ violent apprehension and beating by officers, could face possible discipline pending the outcome.
“We have done an investigation to really carefully examine all aspects of the response and not just the officers on the scene,” Sink said.
Disciplinary actions are determined on a case-by-case basis, Sink said, depending on the severity of a policy violation.
“We have several policies where the realm of disciplinary actions can be everything from a reprimand to a termination,” she said. “In a situation where you could have multiple officers involved in a response, such as we do here, we have to factor in that they all have different roles, and…different times that they came to the scene and different levels of participation.”
Six officers have already been fired, including five who face charges of second degree murder. They were shown on camera kicking, punching and striking Nichols repeatedly with a baton.
As in the past, Sink offered a broad timeline for the conclusion of the investigation, which she anticipates to wind up within the next two weeks. Additional video footage of the incident is expected to be released at that time.
City employees have the right to appeal any disciplinary action taken against them. Three Memphis Fire Department first responders, who were accused of not appropriately following procedures upon arriving at the scene, have appealed their terminations.
The city is also considering taking disciplinary action against one additional Fire Department responder. According to information Sink told other media outlets, the responder helped transport Nichols to the hospital.
