As his parents prepare to bury Tyre Nichols, it seems cliché to say that I'm outraged by his death while in the custody of the Memphis Police Department. But my outrage is genuine. The behavior we witnessed via body-worn and Halo cameras is completely reprehensible. There is no excuse for any police officer anywhere to behave the way we saw those so-called officers behave. I write so-called because clearly the only thing that separated those men from criminals was the shirt they wore to work. The quality of their character disgusts me and it should disgust every one of you. When I was a young supervisor, I attended a lecture entitled "How Shiny is Your Badge?" The question was both literal and rhetorical. The symbol of the badge was both literal and metaphor for one's reputation. The theme of the lecture was both simple and profound: each of us is responsible for our own badge (and reputation), yet the choices we make can impact our entire profession.

It's obvious that the Memphis Police Department is suffering from a cultural failure. The glaring evidence exists and the fact that five of their personnel were arrested for their parts in Mr. Nichols’ murder and others are still being disciplined. There is further evidence in the fact that the beating went on for so long and involved so many people and not one of them ever took a breath and said, “what we are doing is wrong” or “what you're doing is wrong.” Nobody at the scene showed even a shred of humanity to intervene on Mr. Nichols’ behalf and save his life. Accountability for those failures lies in the highest echelons of the Memphis Police Department.

To the Town of Keenesburg: Keenesburg is not Memphis; it's highly unlikely that something so egregious could happen in our community. When I was selected to start and run the Keenesburg Police Department, I accepted the responsibility to build a high-functioning, professional Police Department with an institutional culture that excludes the kind of thing that took place in Memphis. I have assembled a cadre of police officers I am very proud of. Every one of them is professional and cares about other human beings enough to prevent murder or abuse at the hands of police. I entrust every one of them to speak out against the slightest abuse they might witness while serving their community.

Let me reiterate policing is something we do WITH our community and not something we do TO our community. The Police Department’s mission statement includes our commitment to “deliver services through respectful interactions with all people we encounter.” Our core values are Excellence, Fairness, Partnership, Stewardship, and Transparency. They are more than just words on the wall, they are the foundation on which the Department was formed and the driving force behind all our actions. I encourage all citizens to reach out to me directly if they have concerns about the Police Department or the way they have been treated by a Keenesburg police officer. I am accountable to you and I am responsible for the culture of the Keenesburg Police Department. We cherish the trust you extend to us by allowing us to serve as police officers in your community. Feedback of any kind can be left at KeenesburgPD.org, too. We need your feedback to measure our performance and growth.

To all Keenesburg police officers: Thank you for the job you do so professionally every day. I admire each one of you for the continual display of your commitment to our mission, our values, and our community. Thank you for living your oath of office and the Law Enforcement Code of Ethics. I’m honored to serve beside you.

To everyone who sees this message: Please join me in condemning, in the strongest terms possible, the actions of those responsible for Mr. Nichols’ death. Join me, too, in praying for his survivors’ comfort as they grieve their abhorrent loss at that hands of those who should have been guardians of Tyre Nichols’ fundamental rights. They are living a nightmare no family should ever experience.

James Jensen
Chief of Police