Memphis' SCORPION unit lacked training, former police say

Video footage of the brutal police beating of Tyre Nichols has reignited the national conversation on policing in America, as well as brought increased scrutiny to specialized police units. 

The Memphis Police Department disbanded its SCORPION team, a specialized unit formed in 2021 to fight violent street crime, over the weekend after five of its members were charged in the death of Nichols. 

Bill Bratton, the former chief of the Los Angeles Police Department and former commissioner of the New York City Police Department, said the Memphis unit ran into trouble because it lacked necessary training.