Local law enforcement, defense tactics expert react to Tyre Nichols video

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — Following the Tyre Nichols incident, ABC 6 News spoke with both members of law enforcement and use of force specialists to get their reaction of how his arrest, later leading to his death, was handled.

While there’s been talk of legislation regarding police reform, Todd McGhee, a former Massachusetts State Police trooper and law enforcement defense tactics coordinator, said a law that would federally regulate training would be too controversial and create too much debate.

However, McGhee said more funding could lead to fewer gaps in training across departments.

“You have officers in training seats that impact the patrol roster. Any time you have allocated someone, they’ll be an overtime occurrence to back fill. Funding is needed to ramp up training and have consistent training,” McGhee said.

As for how this impacts law enforcement in Rhode Island, Sidney Wordell, the executive director of The Rhode Island Police Chiefs Association, said they are currently in the process of completing a job task analysis, which will clearly outline the duties, responsibilities and professional expectations for potential police officers in Rhode Island.

Wordell said a closer look at an officer’s mental health would help prevent incidents similar to what happened to Nichols in Rhode Island.

“It would be some type of evaluation that’s done at certain intervals with officers or after certain instances, so that’s an area we’re looking for to improve on a current system in Rhode Island,” said Wordell.