MACON, Ga. — As video of five Memphis police officers beating Tyre Nichols continues to circulate, many are reacting. That includes law enforcement across Central Georgia.
"It broke every rule, it broke every policy, every procedure of any law enforcement agency of the United States," Baldwin County Sheriff Bill Massee said.
With 30 plus years in law enforcement, Sheriff Massee says the footage of Tyre Nichols is one of the worst cases of police brutality he's seen.
"I reviewed the video, like most people, just straight from the television camera, but to be candid, I saw enough without a true inspection or review. It was noticeably improper police action,” he added.
Massee wrote an open letter on his Facebook page in support of Nichols' family and calling out the improper policing.
He says he wanted to be transparent with the community. Massee says his deputies also discussed the video.
"Well, we always have communication over it. This morning, my lieutenant running this shift, the first thing they did, he met with his shift and showed him the video and they discussed it and went over it,” Massee said.
Several cameras caught more than 30 minutes of video showing how Memphis officers attacked Nichols.
Over in Washington County, Sheriff Joel Cochran says he watched the footage, too.
"I share the same reaction as a lot of other people did when they saw the video. It's very alarming and very disturbing," Sheriff Cochran said.
He says the traffic stop shouldn't have ended the way it did, but adds national incidents like this become part of their training.
"We discuss it and we talk about it and we try to identify the things that were done right, and then we also try and point out and identify the things that didn't turn out right in efforts to make sure it doesn't happen like that here," he said.
As the case puts a spotlight on police across the nation, Cochran says it’s important to remember both sides.
"Not only pray for our community, but we have to pray for law enforcement officer because they're the ones having to deal with these situations when they arise and we pray that they use the proper skills and training,” he explained.
Both sheriffs say transparency, proper training, and community engagement top their list for preventing a similar incident here.
Preston Hemphill is the sixth officer removed from the police department.