Following the death of Tyre Nichols at the hands of the Memphis police, national attention is once again focused on the use of force by police. The Detroit Free Press, among other outlets, turned to a report written by Trevor Bechtel, Mara C. Ostfeld, and Luke Shaefer that looks at possible reforms to prevent more deaths caused by police brutality.
"The Memphis case is significant because it continues to raise the issues of police brutality and systemic racism, and has sparked peaceful protests nationwide, including one in Detroit. For many, the high-profile case also puts police brutality in a new context, because, in the Memphis, Tennessee, case, the five officers charged in the slaying of the young Black man are also Black, and the chief is a Black woman," the Free Press wrote. "The research found about 1,000 people — more white, than Black — are killed by police each year. It also pointed out that American police 'kill more people in days than other countries do in years' yet, 'how to turn the tide on this national challenge remains unclear.'"
Read the Poverty Solutions report.
U-M report looks at what police reforms work as Tyre Nichols' death spurs national debate, Detroit Free Press, January 31, 2023
Report: Gun control policies may result in reduction of force by police officers, Michigan Radio, February 1, 2023
