Tyre Nichols death revives calls for change in police culture

The recent video of Tyre Nichols being beaten by police officers in Memphis, Tennessee serves as a reminder that efforts to reform policing have failed to prevent such brutality. Police kill approximately three people per day nationwide, according to academics and advocates for police reform, since 2020. Despite steps taken to reform policing, including de-escalation training and stricter use-of-force limits, such killings persist. The Nichols case joins other brutality cases in making national news and exposes an uncomfortable truth. While more than 300 police reform bills have been approved after George Floyd’s murder, decreases in police funding have been modest. The George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, which prohibits racial profiling and bans chokeholds, remains stuck in Congress. Advocates for change are calling for state and federal legislation to effect lasting change in law enforcement culture and shift actual police behavior, not just rules in place. The five officers charged in Nichols’ death were part of the Scorpion unit, which has since been disbanded by the Memphis police chief. Calls for new laws and strict regulations need to be coupled with efforts to shift the culture within police departments to effect real change and ensure public safety for all citizens.