SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — As the public begins to see and process the fatal arrest video of Memphis, Tenn., resident Tyre Nichols, 29, local Utah police departments are also condemning the actions of Memphis Police.
The statements being released are included in their entirety below.
Salt Lake City
Nothing is more fundamental and important for police officers, as public servants, than the expectations of honesty, dignity, responsibility, and accountability.
The video of Tyre Nichols’ death is heartbreaking, cruel, and intolerable. The Salt Lake City Police Department commends Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn Davis for her swift, righteous, and professional handling of this horrific case.
We strongly denounce the inexcusable conduct of the five people involved in the death of Tyre Nichols. Their actions are unbecoming of police officers; they do not represent the honorable and courageous women and men who make up law enforcement throughout our country and Salt Lake City. Every day, the Salt Lake City Police Department focuses on broadening our training and practices to preserve trust and respect with those we serve.
We are guided by our department’s core values to sustain and develop stronger relationships with our community and to promote responsibility and transparency. The Salt Lake City Police Department meets regularly with community members, organizations, stakeholders, and the city’s Racial Equity in Policing Commission as we advance the policies, practices, programs, and culture of our evolving police department.
Our work of becoming a better and more robust police agency is never ending. We are proud to have such great police officers and professional staff within our department who embrace and work to foster stronger relationships with our community, who advocate for and demand fairness and who are committed to the safety and protection of everyone.”
Salt Lake City Police Chief Mike Brown, Deputy Chief Lance VanDonge, Deputy Chief Scott Mourtgos, Deputy Chief Victor Siebeneck, Captain Stefhan Bennett, Captain John Beener, Captain Derek Dimond, Captain Charli Goodman, Captain Scott Smalley, Captain Yvette Zayas, Captain Mike Hatch, Utah Capital City Fraternal Order of Police Lodge President Det. Kevin Murray
Ogden
Ogden Police Chief Eric Young said he endorses the statement released by the International Associations of Chiefs of Police.
West Jordan City
As a police officer of more than 40 years and your police chief, I unequivocally condemn the circumstances that resulted in the death of 29-year-old Tyre Nichols in Memphis, Tenn., after a confrontation with five police officers.
Each of the five officers involved has been fired, criminally charged, arrested and jailed. Any person accused of a crime in this nation is absolutely entitled to a presumption of innocence. In this case, however, I trust in the judgment of my police colleague in Tennessee, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Director David Rausch, who said the ‘fatal encounter was not proper policing’ and in the judgment of Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn Davis, who promptly fired the officers after her review of the evidence.
There is no justification for the totality of force inflicted on Mr. Nichols. None. Nor can anyone excuse the failure of each one of the officers present to intervene and protect Mr. Nichols from unnecessary force.
Police officers take an oath, a sacred promise, to protect and to serve. These officers violated that oath. In our Department we speak and believe that ‘you matter like I matter.’ Each of our officers is trained in wide range of force options designed to minimize force and injury. Every West Jordan Police Officer is certified in Active Bystandership for Law Enforcement in effective intervention to protect safety, preserve peace, and improve our policing. We police a community of humans with a police force of humans and we know that there will be mistakes. What happened to Tyre Nichols was far beyond the scope of a reasonable mistake; it was just disgraceful and wrong.
We are committed to policing with fairness and equity. Let me be clear: There is no room in our Police Department for the kind of brutality inflicted on Tyre Nichols. We do the best that we can every day. When we get it wrong, we admit it and we do better. Each of our officers is receiving a special reminder from the Chief today, reaffirming our training and our culture of equity and fairness and our unique Department-wide methods and practice of effective intervention. You’ve honored me with invitations into your faith communities and homes, to listen to your civic and social groups, and foster friendships. Thank you. I take very seriously the responsibility of being your police chief. I am proud of the men and women serving you as West Jordan Police Officers. They join me in respecting the oath that we took to serve you and to protect you. Thank you for trusting us with your safety.
West Jordan Police Chief Ken Wallentine