LDF Commends Results of DOJ Investigation of Memphis Police Department

Read a PDF of our statement here.

The Legal Defense Fund (LDF) today commends the Department of Justice (DOJ) for concluding its investigation under 34 U.S.C. § 12601 regarding whether the Memphis Police Department had committed a pattern or practice of conduct that deprives people of their rights. The DOJ's findings shed a light on issues that Memphis residents have been raising for years and which were highlighted in the traffic stop and horrific police killing of Tyre Nichols in January 2023.

The DOJ concluded that the Memphis Police Department systematically uses excessive force, with officers regularly escalating low-level incidents through their aggressive actions, including in encounters with children. The findings highlighted that officers use force to retaliate and punish people, especially when people talk back to them. Investigators also concluded the Memphis Police Department conducts unlawful stops, searches, and arrests, and discriminates against Black people and people with disabilities.

Puneet Cheema, LDF's Manager of the Justice in Public Safety Project, issued the following statement:

"The DOJ's findings shed light on the brutal police violence, unwarranted intrusions, and racially discriminatory practices that Black residents and vulnerable children in Memphis have been subjected to for too long.

"The problems within the Memphis Police Department that the DOJ's findings lay bare are wide and deep. Residents are entitled to an independent and transparent process, overseen by a court, to resolve these problems that have resulted in widespread violations of their fundamental rights. It's imperative that the City of Memphis and Memphis Police Department demonstrate their commitment to such an independent, court-enforced process to prevent further infringements on the rights of Memphis residents."

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Founded in 1940, the Legal Defense Fund (LDF) is the nation's first civil rights law organization. LDF's Thurgood Marshall Institute is a multi-disciplinary and collaborative hub within LDF that launches targeted campaigns and undertakes innovative research to shape the civil rights narrative. In media attributions, please refer to us as the Legal Defense Fund or LDF. Please note that LDF has been completely separate from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) since 1957-although LDF was originally founded by the NAACP and shares its commitment to equal rights.