Tennessee Senate Republicans approved a bill that would reverse the reforms put in place following the deadly beating of Tyre Nichols by police officers last year.
The bill, which the Senate passed, had been backed by Statehouse Republicans for weeks. It is now on its way to Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee’s (R) desk. If he signs it, the bill would cancel the ordinance passed by the Memphis city council and apply to the whole state.
The initial ordinance banned some traffic stops for minor infractions. The new law would stop any local regulations on traffic stops if an officer thinks the driver violated a local, state, or federal law.
State Sen. London Lamar, a Democrat from Nichols' district, criticized the bill as a “slap in the face.”
“Not only for our city council, but all the local governing bodies in this state, because we’re telling them you are not smart enough to decide policies to help govern your own city,” Lamar said, according to the Associated Press. Associated Press.
Republicans backed the legislation, saying it will help reduce crime, and shared examples of law enforcement uncovering violent crimes during stops.
“It’s time to take handcuffs off police and put them on criminals where they belong,” State Senator Brent Taylor said, according to The New York Times. Nichols, a Black man, was killed in January 2023. All five officers, who are all Black, were charged with second-degree murder and civil rights violations in state court. The Department of Justice is conducting a probe into whether Memphis Police Department officers use excessive force or racially discriminatory policing practices..
a probe into whether Memphis Police Department officers use excessive force or employ racially discriminatory policing practices. conducting a probe into whether Memphis Police Department officers use excessive force or employ racially discriminatory policing practices.
