El Paso leaders react to graphic video of Memphis police officers beating Tyre Nichols

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- One day after the Memphis Police Department released the graphic videos showing five of its officers beating unarmed Tyre Nichols that ultimately led to his death, El Paso officials are weighing in.

"Our expectation is that that should never happen, and that we would never tolerate any situation like that," said County Judge Ricardo Samaniego.

ABC-7 asked what measures can be taken to prevent these types of situations.

"Making sure that the police officer or sheriff knows how to handle a situation, and it doesn't get to a level that's not manageable," Samaniego said.

"It was a senseless act of police brutality," said El Paso City Representative for District 7 Henry Rivera, "To protect all involved during contact between a police officer and an individual, I led and championed the effort to equip the El Paso Police Department officers with body cameras."

But Samaniego says it's not just police that are needed to address this issue, but also the presence of social services like Emergence Health Network to help individuals rather than dealing with them with aggression by law enforcement.

"It's not a unity of aggression, but a unity of being held accountable," said Samaniego.