Statement on the Death of Tyre Nichols 

The Lancaster City Bureau of Police fully stands behind the statement made by the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) regarding the death of Tyre Nichols.  

Under the leadership of Chief Mendez, our commitment remains stronger than ever to building trust in our community through accountability, transparency, and open communication. In recent years, our Bureau has made intentional shifts in policy and practice to better meet this commitment. Notably, the Bureau put into place a new use-of-force policy that led to a demonstrated decline in officer use-of-force incidents.  

In addition, we’ve expanded on our community engagement and outreach efforts, trained our officers in both de-escalation and trauma-informed practices, and bolstered recruitment efforts to ensure our Bureau better reflects the community we serve. 

Public safety is a partnership between the community and the officers who serve it. Our Bureau is devoted to this partnership and will continue to engage with Lancaster City residents to better understand their experiences, needs, and public safety concerns. 

Please see below for the full IACP statement. 

  The death of Tyre Nichols at the hands of police officers is appalling and indefensible. The brutality suffered by Mr. Nichols and the failure of any of these individuals to intervene is sickening and leaves everyone, including police officers, disgusted, infuriated, and outraged.  

Our thoughts go out to Mr. Nichols’ family, his friends, colleagues, and community.  

The individuals involved have rightly been fired and criminally charged in the death of Tyre Nichols. There is no excuse for their actions. They have betrayed their oath of office, disgraced the law enforcement profession, and brought shame on the officers across the nation who work selflessly each day to protect their communities.    

As police leaders we remain committed to emphasizing dignity and respect for all and instilling within our agencies a fundamental commitment to the preservation of human life. But we must, and will, do more.  We must remain committed to working together in partnership with community members, advocacy organizations, elected officials, and others to build a future that ensures dignity, security, and justice for all.