Memphis’ question: Can we have tough policing without brutality?

Safety shouldn’t be a choice between rampant crime and violent overpolicing. Memphis thought it might have had an answer. But Tyre Nichols’ death shows how it spiraled out of control.

SCORPION hit the streets of Memphis, Tennessee, in late 2021 in unmarked cars, some without standard-issue dashboard cameras.

The police crime-suppression unit, divided into four, 10-person teams, racked up hundreds of arrests in months. It targeted suspected drug dens, gun smugglers, and reckless drivers who had grown brash during the pandemic.

SCORPION’s sting was effective, city leaders said. The acronym...