January 27, 2023
The video released by the Memphis Police Department of the beating death of Tyre Nichols mortifies the soul. I am appalled and saddened by what I saw in the video, and members of the Mill Valley Police Department have expressed similar sentiments.
As your Police Chief, and on behalf of the members of the Mill Valley Police Department, I condemn in the strongest possible terms this act of senseless brutality, and I express my deep concern and condolences to the Nichols family, the Memphis community, and everyone harmed by this horrific and horrendous act.
The Memphis Police Department has acted by firing the involved officers, who have also been criminally charged. This can only be a first step.
I understand that community members will be enraged and angered by this act, just as we are. Tyre Nichols death is yet another example of an unacceptable outcome at the hands of law enforcement and reflects poorly on each of us who has taken an oath to uphold and defend the rights of those we have committed to serve and protect.
We join our community members in grief and outrage as we seek better solutions to protecting and serving our community. We hope that when the time is right, we can come together as a community to focus our outrage toward positive and meaningful actions so that this never happens again.