Law professor says police 'do not need' to do traffic stops after Tyre Nichols death
Brooklyn Law School professor Alexis Hoag-Fordjour discussed the tragic death of Tyre Nichols Monday on 'CBS Mornings.'
Brooklyn Law School professor Alexis Hoag-Fordjour said Monday that cops "do not need" to make routine traffic stops in response to the police death of 29-year-old Tyre Nichols, saying the solution to decrease police violence is to limit law enforcement's contact with the public.
"My really strong sentiment is that, to decrease violence between law enforcement officials and the public, is that decrease the contact and intervention that police have with the public," she told "CBS Mornings" hosts Tony Doukoupil and Gayle King.
"Police do not need to administer stops and basic traffic violations. I know all of us, I can confidently say, have engaged in a minor traffic violation," she added.
TYRE NICHOLS MEMORIAL FUNDRAISER BLOWS PAST $1 MILLION IN 2 DAYS
"CBS Mornings" guest Alexis Hoag-Fordjour called for fewer police traffic stops to limit contact between law enforcement and the public. (CBS Mornings/Screenshot)
Hoag-Fordjour said the Jan. 7 incident that showed Memphis police brutally beating Nichols on the ground proved that pushes for police bodycameras offer no solution to police brutality.
"This was a perfect example of how an intervention like body-worn cameras, which are conversations happening all over this country, as a type of reform don’t actually work," she said.
"These officers knew they were on film, from their dashcam, from their bodycam, and from the aerial cameras, right? And so it did not prevent any of their unlawful conduct. Making commands that they knew Mr. Nichols couldn’t comply with, even though it was all on film."
Tyre Nichols was just minutes from his home in Memphis, Tennessee, on Jan. 7, 2023, when he was pulled over by police and fatally beaten. (Courtesy of the Nichols family via AP)
Footage of the encounter shows multiple police officers punching, kicking and hitting Nichols with batons as he lied on the ground during the stop.
The injuries proved fatal and Nichols died at the hospital three days later.
Officers claimed Nichols was pulled over for reckless driving and one allegedly tasered him before five other officers began beating him. Officers also claimed Nichols fled during the initial confrontation.
Six Memphis police officers have since been relieved of duty and charged with crimes in connection with the incident, including second-degree murder and aggravated assault.
SIXTH MEMPHIS POLICE OFFICER INVOLVED IN TYRE NICHOLS INVESTIGATION RELIEVED OF DUTY
Memphis Police Department Officers Demetrius Haley, Tadarrius Bean, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills and Justin Smith were terminated on Jan. 18 for their role in the arrest of deceased Tyre Nichols. (Memphis Police Department)
The department's "Scorpion Unit," a subset of the department containing the officers, was also "permanently deactivated" on Saturday, according to a statement from the department.
""In the process of listening intently to the family of Tyre Nichols, community leaders, and the uninvolved officers who have done quality work in their assignments, it is in the best interest of all to permanently deactivate the Scorpion Unit," the department said.
"The officers currently assigned to the unit agree unreservedly with this next step. While the heinous actions of a few casts a cloud of dishonor on the title Scorpion, it is imperative that we, the Memphis Police Department take proactive steps in the healing process for all impacted."
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Nichols' death created outrage across the U.S. as protests erupted in several major cities, including Atlanta, Washington, D.C., and New York City as well as Memphis.
Fox News' Anders Hagstrom and Adam Sabes contributed to this report.
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