美国国家公共电台 NPR--Ex-Memphis police colonel is in shock over the video of police beating Tyre Nichols

Ex-Memphis police colonel is in shock over the video of police beating Tyre Nichols

Transcript¹

NPR's A Martinez talks to pastor² James Kirkwood, chairman of the Memphis Civilian³ Law Enforcement Review Board, about police practices and the killing⁴ of Tyre Nichols.

A MART?NEZ, HOST:

The five former Memphis cops involved in the deadly beating of Tyre Nichols are awaiting arraignment⁵ on murder charges. They were members of the city's so-called Scorpion⁶ unit designed to target crime hot spots. That was disbanded over the weekend. Lawyers for the Nichols family called it a decent and just decision, and they're also calling for more police reforms. Joining us now is pastor and retired⁷ Memphis Police Colonel James Kirkwood. He heads the Memphis Civilian Law Enforcement Review Board, known as CLERB. Pastor, you spent more than three decades on the Memphis Police Department. First off, what was your reaction when you saw those videos being released?

JAMES KIRKWOOD: My reaction was - one, I was sad. I was embarrassed and just total shock that this behavior, this act of violence on a young man, Mr. Nichols, who didn't even show aggression⁸, took place.

MART?NEZ: What was the most embarrassing part about it for you as a professional, as a Memphis police officer, former Memphis police officer?

KIRKWOOD: That we had a group of police officers acting⁹ like a wolf pack on a man who had done nothing. He hadn't shown any violence. He hadn't shown - there was no call that said that he had committed any heinous¹⁰ acts. I was blown away that even - this man never even cussed during the altercation¹¹. You know, that was a sad moment for me. And in talking to a lot of other colleagues who have retired and went on, it's the same for them.

MART?NEZ: Yeah, I mean, this could have been someone's son, right? Your son, your colleagues' son, I mean, some - that's how deep this thing goes.

KIRKWOOD: Yeah. Yes.

MART?NEZ: As a retired veteran officer, what changes in training and policy do you think are needed?

KIRKWOOD: I think all too often we basically - we train so hard. We spend many hours at the gun range. We spend many hours on aggressive maneuvers¹² to fight and to - you know, how to apprehend¹³ officers - how to apprehend suspects, when the truth of the matter, most of - most police officers never, ever pull their weapon to shoot anybody. And I mean the overwhelming majority of police officers never, ever fire their weapons at anybody, never, ever pull their weapons to shoot anybody. Most police officers, the overwhelming majority, never get into a real fight, you know, where, I mean, a real fight takes place in their career. But what we do deal with often and more and more each day is individuals in crisis, people needing assistance, people needing - entering into disturbances¹⁴ where de-escalation needs to take place. We enter into situations where we truly need to understand the emotional learning, the social aspects of what's going on in this situation.

MART?NEZ: Yeah, so police officers, you're saying, are training for something that rarely, if ever, may happen.

KIRKWOOD: Yeah, it rarely, if ever, happens. But the very thing that you deal with on a daily basis, interacting with community, you get little training on. And that's what officers need. They need a whole lot of training on de-escalation, a lot of training on the social, emotional learning and cultural awareness¹⁵.

MART?NEZ: But, Pastor, isn't that something we've known already, though? I mean, it seems like we've known that for a long time.

KIRKWOOD: You are absolutely right, all right? We have known it, down through the years. And you always hear people say it. After every protest, these things are called for but oftentimes ignored. They're often - it is often said that we are going to do it, but then all of a sudden, you know, after months, a few months down the road, those things are forgotten, and we go back to the same old, same old that we've been doing over and over the years that always bring us back to the night that Mr. Nichols was killed. You know, we're right back at this moment again after just a few years ago, we was dealing¹⁶ with it, and you had all the protests come about and, you know, everyone saying, we're going to put things in place.

MART?NEZ: Yeah.

KIRKWOOD: It can't wait. We're going to put this in place. We're going to change. We're going to beef up civilian law enforcement review boards. And afterwards, hey, very little is done.

MART?NEZ: A civil rights investigation¹⁷ into what happened to Tyre Nichols is being planned. But, Pastor, I'm wondering if you think there should be a federal investigation into the entire Memphis Police Department.

KIRKWOOD: I think - you know, I think not just Memphis; I think every police department, all right? We just had a shooting a few months - what? - in January, up in another area, another city in Tennessee where a man was killed by officers. You know, I think every police department needs to be examined. We need to truly look and see how we have been policing in our communities. Why do we continue to do the same thing over and over and over, when we know it always brings us back to protests? We hear people complaining every day, and what - we'll hear people come back and say, well, we have a good relationship with the community; our police department has a good relationship with the community. And then you have to come back and say, which community are you talking about?

MART?NEZ: Yeah.

KIRKWOOD: You know, you have to ask, which community are you talking about? Because if you come down in certain communities, you will find that, no - all right? - we don't have a real good relationship. You know, you may have a good relationship in this segment of the African American community or this segment in the Hispanic community, but overall, if - when you're raising your hand, when people - when you ask...

MART?NEZ: Yeah.

KIRKWOOD: ...Do you have a good relationship with your police department, and people don't raise their hand, and they begin to complain, you have to pay attention to that.

MART?NEZ: Pastor James Kirkwood chairs the Civilian Law Enforcement Review Board in Memphis, Tenn. Pastor, thank you very much for your time.

KIRKWOOD: Thank you.

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 pastor   

n.牧师，牧人

参考例句：

• He was the son of a poor pastor.他是一个穷牧师的儿子。
• We have no pastor at present:the church is run by five deacons.我们目前没有牧师：教会的事是由五位执事管理的。

3 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

4 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

5 arraignment   

n.提问，传讯，责难

参考例句：

• She was remanded to juvenile detention at her arraignment yesterday. 她昨天被送回了对少年拘留在她的传讯。 来自互联网
• Wyatt asks the desk clerk which courthouse he is being transferred to for arraignment. 他向接待警员询问了马宏将在哪个法庭接受传讯。 来自互联网

6 scorpion   

n.蝎子，心黑的人，蝎子鞭

参考例句：

• The scorpion has a sting that can be deadly.蝎子有可以致命的螫针。
• The scorpion has a sting that can be deadly.蝎子有可以致命的螫针。

7 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

8 aggression   

n.进攻，侵略，侵犯，侵害

参考例句：

• So long as we are firmly united, we need fear no aggression.只要我们紧密地团结，就不必惧怕外来侵略。
• Her view is that aggression is part of human nature.她认为攻击性是人类本性的一部份。

9 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

10 heinous   

adj.可憎的，十恶不赦的

参考例句：

• They admitted to the most heinous crimes.他们承认了极其恶劣的罪行。
• I do not want to meet that heinous person.我不想见那个十恶不赦的人。

11 altercation   

n.争吵，争论

参考例句：

• Throughout the entire altercation,not one sensible word was uttered.争了半天，没有一句话是切合实际的。
• The boys had an altercation over the umpire's decision.男孩子们对裁判的判决颇有争议。

12 maneuvers   

n.策略，谋略，花招( maneuver的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• He suspected at once that she had been spying upon his maneuvers. 他立刻猜想到，她已经侦察到他的行动。 来自辞典例句
• Maneuvers in Guizhou occupied the Reds for four months. 贵州境内的作战占了红军四个月的时间。 来自辞典例句

13 apprehend   

vt.理解，领悟，逮捕，拘捕，忧虑

参考例句：

• I apprehend no worsening of the situation.我不担心局势会恶化。
• Police have not apprehended her killer.警察还未抓获谋杀她的凶手。

14 disturbances   

n.骚乱( disturbance的名词复数 )；打扰；困扰；障碍

参考例句：

• The government has set up a commission of inquiry into the disturbances at the prison. 政府成立了一个委员会来调查监狱骚乱事件。
• Extra police were called in to quell the disturbances. 已调集了增援警力来平定骚乱。

15 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
• Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。

16 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

17 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。