MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Tennessee’s Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission voted to hold off on the decertification status of former Memphis Police Officer Preston Hemphill, who was fired after the death of Tyre Nichols.
P.O.S.T said during a hearing Thursday, June 15, 2023, that Hemphill’s certification is suspended until the conclusion of all investigations, including one by the Department of Justice. At the conclusion, he can return for another P.O.S.T. hearing.
Hemphill and another officer, Lieutenant DeWayne Smith, were not charged in Nichols’ death; however, they still face decertification.
In May, P.O.S.T also decided to hold off on the decertification for former MPD officer Tadarrius Bean, one of five former officers who are charged in Tyre Nichols’ death. Bean, along with former officers Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin, Justin Smith, and Desmond Mills, face multiple charges, including second degree murder in Nichols’ death. All five officers pleaded not guilty during their first court appearance on Feb. 17.
Back in March, P.O.S.T. decertified Haley, Martin, Smith, and Mills, which means they will not be able to work in law enforcement in Tennessee again.
The decertification process is separate from the criminal cases brought against the former officers who are charged.
On Jan. 7, 2023, Nichols, 29, was left unconscious, brutally beaten and unrecognizable after what was supposed to be a regular traffic stop, where he encountered several MPD officers serving on a specialized tactics unit called SCORPION Unit. He died three days later.
Nichols's encounter with the MPD officers serving on the SCORPION specialized tactics unit has law enforcement, Nichols' family, and protestors calling for full police reform.