For Immediate Release:
Thursday, January 26, 2023
Contact:
William Stander, (850) 212-3250, william@williamstander.com
Florida Police Chiefs Association Statement on the Death of Tyre Nichols
The following statement may be attributed to FPCA President Chief Keith Touchberry, Fellsmere Police Department:
“On behalf of the more than 1,300 law enforcement leaders and members of the Florida Police Chiefs Association, we offer our heartfelt sympathies to the family of Tyre Nichols. Mr. Nichol’s death was tragic and unnecessary.”
“Law enforcement training and policies in Florida do not support what happened to Mr. Nichols. Our training directs officers to deescalate situations whenever possible and especially after a subject is in custody. Further, under Florida law officers are trained to intervene to stop unjustified use of force and render aid to the subject.”
“We appreciate that there is an on-going investigation, and we trust that it will be thorough. We applaud the decisive action of Chief Cerelyn Davis who quickly moved to fire the five officers involved for “excessive use of force, duty to intervene, and duty to render aid.” Based on what we know, the actions and conduct of the officers involved were not in keeping with the high standards of conduct demanded by our profession. We do know that the actions of these officers on that day are not representative of the true character and professionalism of the overwhelming majority of the dedicated law enforcement professionals serving their communities across our country.”
“As Chiefs and members of the FPCA, we will continue to work with our community leaders and with our Committee on Accountability and Societal Change to ensure the dialogue is ongoing and open when events like the death of Mr. Nichols threaten to harm the trust we have in each other.”
“The ultimate goal for all law enforcement leaders is a community that trusts us, that views us as the guardians of our communities and works in partnership with us towards public safety goals. This trusting relationship needs constant care, and so we must continue working towards that goal in every community. We also need our communities to recognize that the misdeeds and criminal actions of officers in one location, do not define officers and departments across the country.”