Tennessee governor signs bill blocking police reform law inspired by Tire Nichols killing
CNN – Tennessee's Republican Gov. Bill Lee has signed a bill banning cities from implementing some local police reforms, including a traffic stop ordinance in Memphis after the fatal police beating of Tire Nichols. The bill, which was introduced in the Tennessee House a year after Nichols' death, does not specifically mention the traffic stop measure in Memphis. It has been widely interpreted as a rebuke to the Memphis measure, which banned police stops for minor violations. Nichols' family and civil rights groups argued that police stops, also called sham stops, unfairly target black drivers and expose them to police violence. The legislation was supported by Nichols’ family and state Sen. Brent Taylor, the sponsor of the bill, who called sham traffic stops an important law enforcement tool.
Published : 4 weeks ago by Camilo Morgan in Politics
Sierra Rogers, who called Tire Nichols her best friend, adjusts items at a memorial for the 29-year-old who was beaten by Memphis officers and later died.
Tennessee’s Republican Gov. Bill Lee has signed a bill banning cities from implementing some local police reforms, including a much-lauded traffic stop ordinance in Memphis that was created after the fatal police beating of Tire Nichols.
Tennessee’s Republican-controlled legislature previously passed the bill, which prohibits any city from taking any action “that prohibits or restricts the ability of a law enforcement agency to take all necessary steps lawful under state and federal law to to meet the requirements of the law enforcement authority. Obligations to prevent and detect crimes and to arrest criminals.
The bill was introduced in the Tennessee House about a year after Nichols’ death in January 2023. Although the law does not specifically mention the traffic stop measure in Memphis, it has been widely interpreted as a rebuke to the ordinance and would prevent cities across the state from implementing similar reforms.
The Memphis measure, called the Driving Equality Act in honor of Tire Nichols, banned police stops for minor violations. The 2023 ordinance was passed by the Memphis City Council in the months after Nichols, a 29-year-old Black man, was severely beaten by Memphis police during a traffic stop. He was hospitalized and died a few days later from his injuries, which included tears and fractures to his brain and bruises and cuts all over his body.
The reform was supported by Nichol’s family as well as civil rights groups and activists who argued that police stops for minor violations – also called sham stops – unfairly target black drivers and expose them to police violence.
Fake stops allow police to use minor traffic violations or broken taillights as an opportunity to investigate drivers for more serious crimes. Police have defended these types of checks, saying they are crucial to combating illegal drug possession, gun possession, human trafficking and drunk driving.
Police originally said they pulled Nichols over for reckless driving. But Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn J. Davis later said that camera footage showed no evidence of probable cause for the traffic stop.
CNN has reached out to Lee’s office for comment.
Much of the discussion surrounding the legislation centered on the traffic stop that led to Nichols’ brutal beating – and ultimately his death.
According to CNN affiliate WMC, Nichols’ parents pleaded with lawmakers to kill the bill earlier this month.
“The City of Memphis has worked tirelessly to pass ordinances on Tire’s behalf, so this bill hurts us deeply,” Nichols’ parents RowVaughn and Rodney Wells said in a statement released by WMC. “Local Memphis officials attempted to speak with state legislators pushing for this legislation, but they were rebuffed – as were we.”
State Sen. Brent Taylor, a Republican and sponsor of the bill, called sham traffic stops “an important law enforcement tool,” according to WMC.
“We need to ensure uniformity and consistency across the country when it comes to traffic enforcement,” he said.
Police traffic stops and their connection to racial profiling and police violence have come under scrutiny across the country. For example, a January report found that black drivers in California were stopped by law enforcement “more often than expected.”
Other states and cities have taken steps to eliminate mock stops, including Virginia and Philadelphia, which in 2021 became the first major cities to ban police from stopping drivers for low-level traffic violations. They followed the example of smaller cities such as Minneapolis and Ramsey County, Minnesota.