FILE PHOTO: The exterior of the Memphis Police Department North Main precinct is seen in Memphis, Tennessee, U.S., January 31, 2023. REUTERS/Alyssa Pointer/File Photo
(Reuters) -The U.S. Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division has opened an investigation into whether the Memphis Police Department has an unconstitutional "pattern or practice" of using excessive force and racial discrimination, department officials announced on Thursday.
Earlier this year, the Justice Department agreed to join city officials and other agencies in a review of the Memphis Police Department after its officers fatally beat Tyre Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man, in the Tennessee city in January.
The federal investigation announced on Thursday is not tied to any specific incident, Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke said at a press conference, though she noted Nichols' "tragic death" in her remarks.
"City and police department leaders recognize the need to scrutinize the police department's practices to prevent such incidents from ever happening again," Clarke said.
(Reporting by Jonathan Allen in New York; Editing by Aurora Ellis)
