The Brandon Police Department would like to express our disgust and disbelief at what occurred in Memphis, Tennessee on January 7, 2023, in which 5 former Memphis Police Officers savagely beat 29-year-old Tyre Nichols after being pulled over for a car stop. In all my years of policing, what I observed in the video footage of the incident was not law enforcement, nor any semblance to policing, nor just basic human decency and morality. What I observed was needless brutality that did nothing but tarnish the names of the good men and woman across this country who serve as law enforcement officers. It is incomprehensible to me that something like this occurred in our modern society. Our goal as police officers is to defend Civil Rights, protect the people in our communities, and uphold the United States Constitution. What happened in Memphis did not reflect any of those ideals.
As law enforcement officers, we have been given a very humbling and huge responsibility when it comes to being entrusted with serving and protecting our communities. We have the authority to fine individuals, take away their freedom, and on rare occasion, may have to take a life during the course of our duties to protect ourselves or others. These are things that I remind myself of on a daily basis and do not take them lightly. These are ideals that all police officers, deputies, and troopers across the United States should remind themselves of every day. Our job is to help those in need, not do harm to them.
The Brandon Police Department remains committed to maintaining its professionalism, keeping our community safe, to protect individual rights, and to respect the sanctity of life for all. Our hope as an agency is that in the end, justice will be done and that we as a society will reflect, learn, and change to prevent anything like this from ever happening again.
-David Kachajian, Chief of Police
