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Fulton County sheriff reviewing SCORPION unit after Tyre Nichols’ death
Tyre Nichols’ death at the hands of members of Memphis Police Departments now-disbanded SCORPION Unit has ignited new discussions about the effectiveness of specialized units like it across the country. The Fulton County Sheriff’s Office is one of the agencies now taking a look at its own SCORPION Unit.
ATLANTA - While loved ones of Tyre Nichols gathered Wednesday to lay him to rest, his death at the hands of members of the Memphis Police Department’s now-disbanded SCORPION Unit has sparked new discussions about the effectiveness of ‘elite’ units like it across the country.
On Tuesday, Fulton County Sheriff Patrick Labat shared plans to re-name his SCORPION Unit amid the controversy, but told FOX 5 the name isn’t the only thing under review. It has also prompted a review of department policies and procedures.
"There’s a complete file review underway of each and every person that is assigned to the team to make sure that if there are things we can do better…that we do," the sheriff said in an interview on Wednesday.
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Video of the incident released late last week by the Memphis Police Department was shocking to many who watched as its officers beat Nichols to death during what was supposed to be a routine traffic stop.
"It was horrific…I feel for the family…it is something that you never want to see happen in this profession," Sheriff Labat said.
He told FOX 5 he has no plans to disband FCSO’s SCORPION Unit, but the review on its procedures comes about a year and a half after it was created in July 2021, around the same time as Memphis Police Department’s specialized unit.
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Kamala Harris, social justice leaders call for policing act at Tyre Nichols' funeral
Mourners from across the country said their final goodbyes to Tyre Nichols at his funeral. Vice President Kamala Harris and the family of George Floyd were among those in attendance. During the ceremony, Harris demanded that congress pass the George Floyd Justice and Policing Act.
"The name didn’t actually kill anybody…it was poor tactics, lack of supervision," Labat stated.
Dean Dabney, Chair of Georgia State’s Department of Criminology agreed.
"It’s not what you think of when you think of good police work," he said Wednesday. "Tactical units like that are aggressive by default and so you’ve got to counter that kind of propensity with supervision."
Labat said the purpose of his SCORPION Unit is to reduce crime by targeting repeat offenders. Officers are required to undergo psych evaluations, have a certain level of tactical experience and in some cases do additional training, if they don’t.
Since its inception, the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office reports that the SCORPION Unit has served more than 400 felony arrest warrants and seized 75 illegal firearms with minimal complaints. Only one complaint has been filed as of February 1st.
"We have almost 500 to 1,000 repeat offenders, individuals we know who are wanted for felony crime and so the community said, ‘We want these people off the street’," the sheriff explained. "It’s intelligence lead, so we’re not just going out and stopping people…we know the individuals are wanted, we know what they’re wanted for."
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Sheriff Labat told FOX 5 with tensions between law enforcement and communities at an all-time high, his focus now is on rebuilding those relationships and restoring public trust with this review of department policies. He encouraged other departments to do the same.
The sheriff said he plans to meet with the executive team next week to talk about the potential name change, but did not have a set timeline on when that change could go into effect.