In official decertification documents released by the state of Tennessee Tuesday, an administrative hearing summary stated that Demetrius Haley, one of the officers involved in Tyre Nichols’ death, took two photographs on his personal cell phone “while standing in front of [Nichols] after he was handcuffed.” Haley is one of the five Memphis police officers indicted for the second-degree murder of Tyre Nichols, all of whom are now facing decertification, which would revoke their ability to work as police officers in Tennessee.

The decertification documents were sent by the Memphis Police Department to the Tennessee Peace Officers Standards and Training Commission before being released by the state. 

The hearing summary form, covering Haley’s January 20, 2023, administrative hearing, states:

[Y]ou admitted you shared the photos in a text message with five (5) people; one civilian employee, two [Memphis Police Department] officers, and one female acquaintance. During the administrative investigation, a sixth person was identified as a recipient of the same photograph.

The hearing officer, Deputy Chief Michael Hardy found Haley’s actions violated multiple department regulations, including one that prohibits communicating information about official police matters to unauthorized persons without prior approval or subpoena.

Deputy Chief Hardy further stated in his summary that Haley and his partner initiated the traffic stop of Nichols:

You exited your unmarked vehicle, stopped in an opposing traffic lane and you force[d] the driver out of his vehicle while using loud profanity and wearing a black sweatshirt hoodie over your head. You never told the driver the purpose of the vehicle stop or that he was under arrest. Audio from a body worn camera did not capture the driver using profanity or displaying any violent threats. You were on an active cell phone call where the person overheard the police encounter.

In addition to communicating confidential police matters, Haley was charged with violating five other police conduct rules, which are: personal conduct; truthfulness; neglect of duty; excessive force/unnecessary force; and compliance with regulations regarding body worn cameras. All charges were sustained. Haley, when presented with the opportunity in the hearing, declined to make a statement on the record.

Decertification is a process intended to remove officers who are unfit to serve, and most states have processes for revoking police officers’ certifications when they are convicted of felonies, certain misdemeanors, or when they have engaged in repeated or egregious misconduct.

After the Memphis Police Department released footage from Nichols’ fatal encounter with the Memphis police offers, the Memphis Police Department announced it would disband the special unit Haley and the other former officers were members of, known as SCORPION. Two more police officers have since been fired from the Memphis Police Department.