Do 'elite' police teams like Memphis's SCORPION unit do more harm than good?

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The special SCORPION police unit that brutalized Tyre Nichols in Memphis has now been disbanded.

But similar units exist in many cities.

Lawmakers say they’re essential for crimefighting. Critics say their elite status and lack of accountability is a recipe for abuse.

“Over and over again, we’ve seen these units brought down by abuse and scandal and shootings, and yet these civic leaders don’t seem to have learned the lesson,” Radley Balko says.

Today, On Point: Specialized police units. Do they work?

Guests

Brenda Goss Andrews, president of the National Association of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE). President of the Retired Detroit Police Members Association. She served more than 30 years on the Detroit police force. (@bga1710)

Radley Balko, journalist and author who writes about criminal justice. He writes the Substack newsletter The Watch. (@radleybalko)

Bryanna Fox, professor of criminology at the University of Southern Florida. She consults with police departments around the country and studied Tampa’s Violent Crimes Bureau. Co-editor of Justice Quarterly.

Also Featured

Seth Stoughton, professor of law at the University of South Carolina. Former patrolman on the Tallahassee police force.

Interview Highlights

Brenda, you are president of the National Association of Black Law Enforcement Executives. I wonder how this latest incident is going over with your fellow Black law enforcement officers?

Brenda Goss Andrews: “We are all horrified. I’ve talked to several, and I do represent the national organization, Black Law Enforcement Executives. We have close to 4,000 members and chapters all over the country, comprising federal, state, local, county police officers. And you will not find, I doubt, any police officer that would say that this was acceptable.

“This is not good police work, and this does not represent the majority of police throughout this country. And the majority of police officers are good. They are trustworthy. This behavior is an anomaly. It’s unfortunate. We started to bring condolences to the Nichols and Wells family who will be burying their loved one today. And this just should not have happened. It should never happen.”

Related Reading

New York Times: “Tyre Nichols’s Death Proves Yet Again That ‘Elite’ Police Units Are a Disaster” — “The website of the Memphis Police Department includes an entire section called ‘Reimagine Policing.’ The introduction on the first page emphasizes that “trust” is the key to effective law enforcement.”

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

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