At least two out of of five Memphis police officers charged with murder in the fatal beatdown of Tyre Nichols joined the force after the department relaxed its hiring requirements.

Tadarrius Bean and Demetrius Haley both joined the Memphis Police Department in Aug. 2020 {snip}

Recruits no longer needed an associate’s degree or 54 college credit hours to join the force, and could get by with five years of work experience {snip}

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Last year, the department lowered its standards again for new recruits, nixing the timed physical ability test and cutting college education requirements from 54 credit hours to just 24.

The department also revealed that was even offering waivers for people who have been convicted on felony charges.

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