Years before Memphis police officer Demetrius Haley pulled Tire Nichols from his car on January 7, leading to a deadly confrontation, Haley was accused of participating in the savage beating of an inmate at a county jail. .
The inmate’s assault in 2015 was so disturbing that 34 others, the entire cell block, signed a letter to the prison warden.
“We are truly asking that this matter be investigated before someone is seriously injured or loses their life due to some unprofessional officers,” the letter said.
The warning to dozens of inmates at the Shelby County jail is the clearest indication yet that one of the five officers involved in the violent beating of Nichols had an event in his past that should have raised concern before it happened. They hired him as a police officer. . Nichols died three days after the beating.
FORMER MEMPHIS OFFICER CHARGED IN THE DEATH OF TIRE NICHOLS ALLEGEDLY BEATEN JAIL INMATE YEARS BEFORE
Mugshots provided by the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office show, from left, Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin III, Desmond Mills, Jr. and Justin Smith. (Shelby County Sheriff’s Office via AP)
The letter asks how inmates are supposed to feel “safe and secure when staff members at the Shelby County Correctional Center attack and threaten us.”
He concludes: “Please put an end to this madness.”
Shelby County did not respond to a request Friday seeking information about its investigation into the beating allegations, so it is unclear if Haley was disciplined or acquitted of the assault. An email was sent to a police spokesman on Friday asking if the department knew about the allegations when Haley was hired.
There is no national database of officers convicted of misconduct who resign or are fired, which means that in many cases they can apply for jobs with other agencies and police departments. There is a national database for officers who lose their certification, the equivalent of their professional license to be a police officer in a particular state. That wouldn’t have made a difference in Haley’s case because her job at the county jail didn’t require a police clearance.
FORMER MEMPHIS COPS CHARGED IN THE DEATH OF TYRE NICHOLS ‘INTEGRATED’ BLACK ARMY VET AND BEAT HIM 3 DAYS BEFORE: LAWSUIT
A photo of Tire Nichols and his mother. (Accio Berry)
The former officer has been charged with second-degree murder in Nichols’ death, along with former officers Tadarrius Bean, Desmond Mills Jr., Emmitt Martin III and Justin Smith. All but Bean have violations on their work records. Violations of the policy include the use of minor physical force during an arrest and failure to complete an arrest form; not reporting a situation of domestic violence; and a car accident, records show.
The earlier allegations against Haley came to light because the inmate, Cordarlrius Sledge, filed a federal lawsuit in 2016 against him and two others. He accused Haley and another officer of beating him, and a third of hitting his head on the ground. The lawsuit was ultimately dismissed on procedural grounds because Sledge failed to file a complaint with the prison, which houses inmates in the Memphis area who have been tried and sentenced.
Haley continued to work for the Division of Corrections until she was hired by the Memphis police in 2020, at a time when the department was lowering its standards for recruits in an attempt to fill vacancies. According to her records in her personnel file, she was denied a previous application to the police department, but the reason for that denial is blacked out.
A sixth officer involved in Nichols’ arrest and beating, Preston Hemphill, was fired but not criminally charged. He initially failed a physical after he was hired in 2019 and spent several months in a civilian role.
DEATH OF TIRE NICHOLS: MEMPHIS OFFICIALS SAY 8 ADDITIONAL POLICE OFFICERS COULD FACE DISCIPLINE
“Elite” police units like the former SCORPION team from Memphis, Tennessee, have come under fire following the public response to the beating of Tire Nichols. (City of Memphis via AP, File)
Van Turner, president of the Memphis chapter of the NAACP, said Tire Nichols’ death could have been prevented if the police department hadn’t hired Haley.
“The culture of violence and bullying and a lack of empathy for people is not only here in our neighborhoods and communities, but also in our jails and prison system,” said Turner, who is running for mayor.
Haley, Hemphill and the other four officers were eventually assigned to the Scorpion unit, an acronym for Street Crimes Operations to Restore Peace In Our Neighborhoods. The crime task force that Memphis Police Director Cerelyn “CJ” Davis started when she took over the department in June 2021 was designed to focus on repeat violent offenders, but has been accused of violent tactics and illegal.
African-American residents of Memphis have described police raids in which unmarked cars pull into neighborhoods and armed plainclothes officers jump out, pounce on traffic violators and issue orders. The resulting fear has led people to text, call and use social media to warn each other to stay inside or avoid the area when police operations are underway.
Davis initially defended but later disbanded the Scorpion unit after Nichols’ death.
Haley has not spoken publicly about her role in Nichols’ arrest and beating. She refused to comment at her disciplinary hearing, and her attorney declined to comment. When a reporter for The Associated Press knocked on Haley’s door this week, no one answered.
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Neighbors who live in single-family homes near Haley, in a quiet part of the Memphis suburb of Cordova, said she moved into the house about two years ago. Michael Cassie said he didn’t have many conversations with Haley, but the ones he did have were friendly. Haley kept mostly to himself and hasn’t been seen around the neighborhood in recent weeks, said Cassie, a 74-year-old pastor.
When asked about her reaction when she found out about Haley’s involvement with Nichols, Cassie said: “I was really surprised that it was him.”
