Commission decertifies ex-officers in Tyre Nichols case

A state panel on Friday decertified three Memphis police officers charged in the beating death of Tyre Nichols, in a process that will bar the officers from future law enforcement work in Tennessee.

Former officers Tadarrius Bean, Justin Smith, Emmitt Martin III, Demetrius Haley and Desmond Mills Jr. are all facing second-degree murder charges for the death of Nichols following a traffic stop on Jan. 7.

The Memphis police department subsequently fired the officers and recommended decertification after internal affairs investigation showed the officers violated multiple department policies.

In a hearing in Nashville on Friday, the Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission (POST) — the state's board for law enforcement certification and decertification — moved to decertify Smith, Martin and Haley. The board also approved an earlier decision from Mills to surrender his certification.

Related:Administrative hearing records point to deception, negligence in Tyre Nichols' beating by MPD

Neither the men nor their lawyers attended a brief hearing on Thursday in Nashville, nor were they present for Friday's hearing. The former officers will have 30 days to appeal the decision.

The board at a later date will consider decertification for Lt. DeWayne Smith, a 24-year veteran who supervised the officers. Smith retired on March 1 before he could be fired.

The Memphis Police Department initially moved to delay Smith's decertification over confusion as to whether a retired officer could be decertified. But in the hearing on Thursday, representatives for the department said it plans to move ahead with the decertification.

The commission has not yet reviewed the decertification for Bean.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Commission decertifies ex-officers in Tyre Nichols case