The Department of Justice announced Thursday that it had opened a sweeping civil probe into the City of Memphis and the Memphis Police Department more than six months after the death of Tyre Nichols, who was beaten, pepper-sprayed and tased by Memphis police officers. The DOJ said the investigation isn’t based solely on Nichols’ death but, rather, broad allegations of misconduct. According to a press release, the probe will focus on MPD’s use of force and whether it engages in discriminatory policing. It’s unclear when the public will learn of the investigation’s findings. “It’s hard to put a timeline on this,” Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division said in a news conference Thursday announcing the probe. “We will work expeditiously and hope we will have findings to share with the public very soon.”
