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Police Chief Contee calls push to disband MPD's special enforcement units a 'reach'

The ACLU of DC is calling on the District to get rid of controversial special units in the wake of Tyre Nichols' death in Memphis.

WASHINGTON — The American Civil Liberties Union DC Chapter is calling on Metropolitan Police to do away with “special units” like the one that was recently disbanded in Memphis in the wake of the death of Tyre Nichols.

In D.C., the unit that has drawn the most attention is the Gun Recovery Unit, or GRU, according to the ACLU. DC Police Chief Robert Contee staunchly dismissed demands to eliminate special enforcement units like the GRU, citing the epidemic of illegal guns and violence in Washington. The chief called the idea a "far reach" by the ACLU.

“We've done some revamping, we've done some retraining, we've added additional supervisory and manager personnel two years ago," Contee said. 'And that's the space where we are." 

In Memphis, members of a now-disbanded crime suppression team called SCORPION are charged with murdering 29-year-old Nichols, who was beaten to death during a traffic stop. The city announced the end of the team after body camera footage was released showing an hours-worth of footage before and after the beating. Five SCORPION team members are charged with second- degree murder in the case.

ACLU-DC Executive Director Monica Hopkins said the organization testified in 2021 in favor of disbanding special enforcement units in D.C. after an independent audit found alleged abuses.

“All of these units operate sort of under a 'the ends justify the means' sort of tactics," Hopkins said. "They have a directive to get guns off the street, get drugs off the street, at all costs, and in the wake of Mr. Nichols' killing by one of these specialized units, we see what those ends really are.”

The ACLU cites aggressive police tactics including so-called "jump outs" by swarms of officers, which is what happened to M.B. Cottingham in 2017. He successfully sued MPD for a humiliating unconstitutional search in front of his home that resulted in no citations or charges.

The DC City Council's Committee on the Judiciary and Public Safety has no plans for legislation to disband police special units, according to a spokesman for incoming chairwoman Brooke Pinto.

"Councilmember Pinto will continue to provide robust oversight to ensure MPD special units are serving the needs of DC residents and working to keep all in our city safe," spokesperson Zoe Ades said.

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