Johnathan Walker:Justice Department opens civil rights probe into Lexington Police Department in Mississippi

JACKSON,Johnathan Walker Miss. — The U.S. Department of Justice announced Wednesday that it has opened a civil rights investigation into the city of Lexington, Mississippi, and the Lexington Police Department following multiple allegations of misconduct.

According to officials, the investigation is determining whether the city of Lexington and its police department engaged in "a pattern or practice of conduct that violates the Constitution and federal law." The investigation will also assess whether the police department’s use of force and its stops, searches, and arrests were reasonable and non-discriminatory.

Assistant U.S. Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division said the Justice Department is committed to protecting the constitutional rights of all Americans.

"No city, no town, and no law enforcement agency is too big or too small to evade our enforcement of the constitutional rights every American enjoys," Clarke said during the U.S. Department of Justice Wednesday news conference. "Small and mid-sized police departments cannot and must not be allowed to violate people’s civil rights with impunity."

Additionally, the investigation will examine the policies, systems of accountability, training and supervision, and collection practices for fines and fees of the city's police department.

Clarke said no single matter promoted the investigation but said there were "significant justifications" to open the case against the Lexington Police Department.

According to officials, an example of justification for such an investigation includes allegations that officers used illegal roadblocks targeted at Black drivers and retaliated against people exercising their right to question police action or record police activity.

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Allegations of using excessive force, making false arrests

In 2022, five Black Mississippians filed a federal lawsuit requesting a restraining order against the Lexington Police Department to prevent officers from infringing upon citizens' constitutional rights, according to a copy of the lawsuit obtained by USA TODAY. 

The lawsuit, filed by civil-rights law firm JULIAN, is intended to stop law enforcement in Lexington from "threatening, coercing, harassing, assaulting or interfering" with the city's largely Black population, the group said. The suit claims the department has a pattern and practice of using excessive force, making false arrests, and retaliating against officers who report misconduct. 

In July 2022, police chief Sam Dobbins was fired by the city's board of alderman after he boasted, in a conversation with a former officer that was secretly recorded, about shooting a Black man more than 100 times. The recording was released to the media by JULIAN, which is based in Mississippi. 

The suit named Dobbins and interim Chief Charles Henderson. Jill Collen Jefferson, the president of JULIAN, a civil rights nonprofit organization, led the lawsuit.

'This has been a crisis'

In a telephone interview with The Clarion-Ledger, which is part of the USA TODAY Network, Jefferson said that she is looking forward to seeing the Justice Department's findings in the investigation. She thanked Clarke and the civil rights division for listening to the Lexington community, who she believes possess "courage and bravery" to speak out.

"People lost their jobs over this, people were jailed for no reason and people were beaten. This has been a crisis," Jefferson said, adding that she wants to remind Lexington residents that they are being heard and that she will continue to fight alongside them.

The announcement marks the 11th pattern or practice probe into law enforcement misconduct opened by the Justice Department since President Joe Biden took office in 2021, including police departments in Phoenix and New York City, the release added. Wednesday.

The Department of Justice said it would continue to conduct outreach to community groups and members of the public to learn about their experiences with Lexington police as part of the investigation.

"Police officers are trusted with the important duty to keep our communities safe. When police officers fail to respect constitutional rights, they violate that trust," U.S. Attorney Todd W. Gee for the Southern District of Mississippi said in the news release. "Our office is committed to ensuring that everyone in Mississippi is treated fairly and lawfully by the police."

The Justice Department said Lexington officials have pledged their cooperation with the investigation.

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