MADISON (WKOW) — Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes is asking the community to remain peaceful in their pursuit of justice following the release of the video showing Tyre Nichols' traffic stop.
The video was released Friday evening. It showed Nichols being brutally beaten by five officers. The officers were fired, and they were charged Thursday with several crimes.
Barnes said people have every right to be angry about the video.
“We are the most visible form of government because we wear this uniform," Barnes said. "It’s our responsibility to make sure people are safe, even in the commission of a criminal act, and when we fail to do that, people have the right to express their frustration with us,” Barnes said.
Barnes also wants people to know he and the Madison Police Department are just as against police brutality, and he asks that people express their anger through peaceful protest .
“We stand with you," he said. "If you’re protesting or demonstrating against police brutality, guess what? You have a police chief that stands against police brutality. You have a police department that stands against police brutality. If you decide that you want to demonstrate or exercise your first amendment right, you’ll get a thumbs up. We all believe in the same thing.”
Barnes said his department is doing all they can to improve policing. That includes training on de-escalation and duty to intervene, increasing supervisors’ presence on calls and being intentional about who they hire.
“We have a little ways to go before we get there, but I feel good about the direction this police department and this wonderful community is headed,” Barnes said.
Though it will be painful, Barnes said he will watch the video of Tyre Nichols’ traffic stop to learn from it.
“Many of my friends and even my colleagues have stated they won’t watch. I unfortunately have a duty to because I have a police department and an entire community to answer to — not only for what I do here as a police officer, police chief here in Madison, but also as a person who is a Black male, who is a chief in America,” Barnes said.
Barnes is not planning to have extra patrols on duty following the release of video showing Tyre Nichol’s traffic stop. However, he said the department does have an operational plan in place if it's needed.
More at WKOW 27 News