Ex-officers charged in the death of Tyre Nichols were not part of the national police union that typically defends these cases

Five former Memphis police officers have been fired and charged in the death of Tyre Nichols. Now questions are circulating about how the officers are being treated, and if their treatment has to do with their race.

These charges put every Black law enforcement officer on notice that police unions will not aggressively defend their misconduct like their white counterparts. So be ethical and use good judgment in dealing with the public or face an unfavorable outcome like these individuals. pic.twitter.com/JZI813sNKu

— Imperfect Justice (@ImperfectJustUs) January 26, 2023

In many cases where an officer is charged with killing a civilian, the Fraternal Order of Police steps in to provide their criminal defense.

That won’t be the case for the Black former officers who were charged in the beating death of Nichols.  

That’s because those officers are not members of the FOP, or Fraternal Order of Police.  

A spokesperson told WPLN News that the former officers are not eligible for legal defense because the FOP does not represent them as their union.  

“The event as described to us does not constitute legitimate police work or a traffic stop gone wrong,” FOP president Patrick Yoes said in a statement. “This is a criminal assault under the pretext of law.”

The FOP, politicians and activists across the state and country have condemned the officers’ actions. Body camera footage of the incident is scheduled to be released Friday night.  

This is a developing story. Some things that get reported early on, by the media or law enforcement, could later turn out to be wrong. WPLN News will have updates as the situation develops.