The new pattern or practice investigation announced Thursday will work to determine whether Memphis police systematically violated the constitution or federal law. Federal officials will pay close attention to law enforcement's"use of force and its stops, searches and arrests, as well as whether it engages in discriminatory policing," according to a Justice Department statement.
But DOJ did not open this investigation just because of Nichols. The investigation is “not based on a single incident or event, nor is it confined to a specific unit or type of unit within the Memphis Police Department,” Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke said Thursday. Five police officers were fired and charged with various felonies, including second-degree murder, after Nichols’ death; all five of them pleaded not guilty. Nichols was