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Memphis Police Department Found Guilty of Civil Rights Violations in Memphis
The Memphis Police Department (MPD) has been found guilty of a pattern of conduct that violates the U.S. Constitution and federal law, according to a comprehensive investigation by the Justice Department.
The investigation, which was conducted by career attorneys and staff in the Civil Rights Division’s Special Litigation Section and in the Civil Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Tennessee, found that MPD uses excessive force, conducts unlawful stops, searches and arrests, and unlawfully discriminates against Black people when enforcing the law.
The City and MPD were also found to have unlawfully discriminated in their response to people with behavioral health disabilities, and serious concerns were raised about MPD’s treatment of children. Deficiencies in policy, training, supervision and accountability were identified as contributing to MPD’s and the City’s unlawful conduct.
‘The people of Memphis deserve a police department and city that protects their civil and constitutional rights, garners trust and keeps them safe,’ said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. ‘Our exhaustive investigation found that the Memphis Police Department engages in a pattern or practice of using excessive force, conducting unlawful stops, searches and arrests and discriminatory policing of Black people and residents with behavioral health disabilities.’
Acting U.S. Attorney Reagan Fondren for the Western District of Tennessee added, ‘This process and these findings uncovered that our city has a lot of work to do. Memphians are rightly concerned with gun violence and violent crime. They are also rightly concerned about the collective approach that we must take to tackle these issues.’
The City and MPD cooperated fully with the investigation, and the Justice Department provided a comprehensive written report of its findings to the City and MPD. The report acknowledges the changes already made by the City and MPD, and it identifies additional remedial measures that the department believes are necessary to fully address its findings.
The investigation was conducted pursuant to 34 U.S.C. § 12601, which prohibits law enforcement officers from engaging in a pattern or practice of conduct that deprives people of rights protected by the Constitution or federal law. The Justice Department will be conducting outreach to members of the Memphis community for input on remedies to address the department’s findings, and individuals may submit recommendations by email at Community.Memphis@usdoj.gov or by phone at 888-4.
Key Facts
- State: Federal
- Category: Public Corruption|Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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