The following is a transcript of an interview with Democratic Rep. Val Demings of Florida that aired on Sunday, Jan. 29, 2023, on “Face the Nation.”Â
MARGARET BRENNAN: One day after the video of Tyre Nichols’ lethal encounter with police was made public, the Memphis police shut down its SCORPION Unit, a specialised group, which incorporates the 5 officers which have now been charged with second diploma homicide. For extra, we now go to former Democratic Congresswoman Val Demings, who spent 27 years with the Orlando Police Department, together with 4 years as its chief. It’s good to speak to you.
VAL DEMINGS: Margaret, thanks. It’s good to be with you.
MARGARET BRENNAN: What was your response whenever you noticed the video of those 5 officers beating Tyre Nichols?
DEMINGS: You know, as somebody who spent 27 years in regulation enforcement, began out as an officer on midnight shift patrol and served in each rank served as the chief of police. I’ve seen policing at its greatest, and I’ve seen it at its worst. But what I noticed in the video was surprising and appalling. The grotesque beating. My coronary heart goes out to the Wells-Nichols household, it goes out to his neighborhood. You know, and I so respect the phrases from Mrs. Wells when she not solely talked about the grotesque demise of her son, but additionally spoke to the 5 officers concerned by saying that you just disgraced yourselves and your individual household. So as a profession regulation enforcement officer, I couldn’t consider what I used to be seeing.
MARGARET BRENNAN: It stood out to me that these 5 officers in Memphis have been between the ages of 24 and 32 years previous, they have been all employed inside the final six years. Is this an expertise downside? Is this a foul cop downside?
DEMINGS: You know, Margaret, it’s so necessary that we take a look at, as police executives and , there’s not a lot of an urge for food. We know in Washington, D.C. now to give you the nationwide requirements that I consider are so desperately wanted. I additionally questioned what state legislatures are keen to do. But this falls again now on police executives or chiefs or sheriff’s to give you a lot wanted reforms that begin with hiring the brightest and the greatest, having psychological evaluations being part of that to make sure health for responsibility. And look, I’m greater than aware of specialised models. Many of them are the outcomes of calls from the neighborhood to- for officers to handle crime actions, and like drug exercise, gang exercise, however we have now to ensure as police executives that we’re placing the most seasoned and most skilled officers on this unit which are properly educated, and extremely supervised. So as I take a look at the evening that went off the rails in Memphis, there are a variety of questions which are unanswered however should be answered.Â
MARGARET BRENNAN: But we’re listening to from mayors throughout this nation that they’re going through, in lots of locations, shortages of law enforcement officials, folks keen to do the work, mayor of New Orleans was right here final week telling us that. She’s now requested for federal marshals and ATF brokers in her metropolis. But why is that this such an issue?
DEMINGS: Well, hiring, as somebody who has really employed regulation enforcement officers, it has at all times been difficult, not essentially due to the lack of numbers. But the effort to guarantee that we’re hiring individuals who have the proper temperament to have the ability to do the job. I can bear in mind in a 12 months having 40,000 individuals who needed to be Orlando law enforcement officials, and we ended up hiring perhaps 20 of that 40,000, making an attempt to take each effort each step to guarantee that we rent the greatest particular person to do the job. And so hiring has at all times been difficult. But we additionally once more, police executives should be artistic, not simply look ahead to folks to knock on that door. But to exit into varied communities visiting faculty campuses, ensuring that police departments do proceed to replicate the range of the communities that they serve. This is a time that we have now to be- use new and inventive approaches to creating positive that we’re bringing in the proper women and men. It actually begins with hiring, ensuring that we’re bringing in the proper women and men to do the job.
MARGARET BRENNAN: How would you choose the efficiency of the Memphis Police chief who has stated this unit, the SCORPION unit, did good work?
DEMINGS: You know, I do know CJ Davis. She is an expert regulation enforcement officer. She labored as a deputy chief in Atlanta, the chief of Durham. She is now after all the chief in Memphis and I feel that she has dealt with this very tragic incident in addition to she might. We’re all- have commented on the swift motion with- the firing them- working very carefully with the DA to convey these costs for- ahead in a really expeditious method. She’s additionally been very clear with the neighborhood. And boy do we have to see extra of that. She was additionally the president of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives. She could be very properly educated. And I do consider, whereas that is one among the hardest moments in our nation, that she is the proper chief to steer us via this very powerful time.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, I’m wondering as a result of I used to be- , studying a bit in New York Magazine entitled “The End of Police Reform,” and it pointed out- and in Memphis, diversifications had been made since 2020, when it comes to mandating de-escalation, banning chokeholds. There have been physique cameras, that wasn’t a deterrent right here. The police pressure is 60% Black, it reported, with a Black police chief. Even with these changes, this horrific scenario occurred. So whenever you hear requires police reform, what’s the piece of reform, you assume that makes the distinction? Or is it simply recruitment?
DEMINGS: Margaret, we have now made calls of police- for police reform. Especially since the brutal demise of George Floyd. Now let me say this, I used to be in Congress throughout the time that George- voted for the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, which no- everyone knows it was not good. But my goodness, I positive consider it was a significant step in the proper route. And I feel that too many police executives assume that any criticism of the police or any efforts to reform or modify hiring requirements, modified coaching requirements, be certain they’ve the expertise that they should higher be capable of do the job, calling for nationwide databases and higher enforcement. Too many individuals see that as we’re not supporting the police. Well, I see it as precisely that. Supporting the police, giving them the instruments that they should do the job, but additionally to carry them accountable. And so yeah, it goes- it isn’t simply hiring however it doggone positive begins with hiring, once they’re in coaching, ensuring that we have now the proper discipline coaching officers who we all know set the commonplace for what’s acceptable and unacceptable on the road. Looking at- internally, at insurance policies and modifying these use of pressure insurance policies. Yes, the physique cameras, take into consideration if we didn’t have this footage- however this case was so off the rails and so outdoors of the field. There’s a variety of work that must be achieved right here.
MARGARET BRENNAN: And I- I hear your ardour there. Thank you for sharing your evaluation with us. We’ll be again in a second.