Politicians Using Nichols Death To 'Bash' All Police Officers: IL Police Union

ILLINOIS — Just days after body cam footage of the beating death of Tyre Nichols at the hands of five Memphis police officers was released to the public, the Illinois Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) is criticizing state politicians who used the video as an opportunity to “bash” all police officers.

In a statement released on Tuesday, Illinois Fraternal Order of Police State Lodge President Chris Southwood said that Nichols died “at the hands of bad police officers” who committed acts that “sickened and outraged” all good law enforcement officers.

But Southwood singled out politicians who he said are now painting all police officers with the same brush as the five Memphis officers who face murder charges in Nichols’ death. His statement did not single out any specific lawmakers or laws, but criticized police reform laws.

“Those politicians need to realize that the so-called police reform laws they passed in Illinois have driven many good potential and serving officers away from the law enforcement profession,” Southwood said on Tuesday. “Many departments in this state have had to lower their hiring standards since those laws were passed just to get enough officers on the street.

“No one wants to be a cop in a state that treats police like villains, and lower standards in one of the nation’s most stressful occupations is a certain recipe for disaster.”

The statement by the Illinois FOP comes on the heels of local departments calling for change on the part of how law enforcement agencies deal with their own officers. In Evanston, Chief Schnenita Stewart, the first woman ever appointed to the role of chief in the city, said that things need to change after the nation's latest case of police brutality.

“A crisis of confidence is increasing in communities over police use of force, lack of transparency, and what is seen as overly aggressive law enforcement strategies," Stewart said last week before footage of the beating death in Memphis was released.

"These actions have upset our social fabric and undermined the confidence in and legitimacy of our police agencies and local governments," the Evanston police chief added. "This has to change."

Protests have continued across the country and around Illinois since the release of the body cam footage from Memphis. Memphis’ police director, Cerelyn Davis described the officers' conduct as "heinous, reckless and inhumane."

She said other officers are being investigated for policy violations and pledged an independent review of her department's specialized united.