WHEELING, W.Va. (WTRF) – After this early January incident with Tyre Nichols in Memphis, Tennessee, police brutality has been a continuous topic of conversation across the country, and one former local officer gave 7News his perspective on the incident. 

Martin Kimball served on the Wheeling Police Department for 38 years and spent the last 10 of them as a Deputy Chief. 

He says that Wheeling sees the same things that larger cities do, but in his words this incident was “off the charts, horrible, and atrocious.” 

”Seldom does it have to get physical, but if it does you have to use the amount of force necessary to combat whatever force they are presenting to you. Again, this situation, I can’t explain it. I’m embarrassed and I think every police officer – good, honest police officers – should be embarrassed also by it. They have tarnished my reputation along with theirs and every other police officer across the country. You want people who have common sense and knowledge that life is precious, and that you are not there to cause harm You are there to help them.”

Martin Kimball – Retired Wheeling Deputy Chief

Kimball’s response to those showing support of defunding the police is that they should be wanting the complete opposite – to increase funding for thorough evaluations and background checks of potential officers.