Former police chief believes police departments should think twice before dissolving special units

WSBTV.com News Staff
·2 min read
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Local crime-fighting task forces are facing scrutiny after the death of Tyre Nichols, who was killed by Memphis police.

The police department deactivated its special task force following his death.

Channel 2′s Michael Seiden spoke to a former Atlanta Police Department police chief who says dissolving these special units might not be the right move for some departments.

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Former APD police chief Erika Shields expressed her emotions as she and the rest of the world watched the video of five Memphis officers brutally beating Tyre Nichols.

“I was disgusted,” said Shields.

Shields believes despite what happened, police departments should think twice before getting rid of these types of units because they play a vital role in keeping our communities safe.

“The ripple effect from Memphis is going to be similar to Rodney King. It’s going to resonate for the next couple of decades,” said Shields.

The officers charged in Nichols’ death were part of a special task force called the Scorpion Unit. Memphis police took action over the weekend, making the decision to deactivate it permanently.

“If the culture goes off course, which clearly occurred in Memphis, then the potential for liability is enormous,” said Shields.

APD has also faced problems when it comes to specialized units.

The Reg Dog Unit, formed in the 80′s to fight drugs and violence, was disbanded in 2011 following numerous complaints of excessive force, police brutality, and a violation of civil rights.

“Red Dog got off course during the time when the department, as a whole, got off course,” said Shields.

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But Shields said the department has learned from its mistakes and now has the APEX Unit, which is a group of experienced, well-trained officers and supervisors who are often involved in the arrests of armed repeat offenders.

“As a chief, you have to almost micromanage these units because so much can go wrong. But I think to just respond and say, you know, dissolve them and move on, it doesn’t fully take into account, okay, but we still have this incredible violent crime problem we have to navigate,” said Shields.

The APEX Unit ended up implementing different tactics than the Reg Dog Unit.

Some of those tactics include the use of technology, crime analysis, and real-time crime data tracking.

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