DOJ Opens Civil Rights Investigation Into Rural Mississippi Police Department

Vice President-elect Kamala Harris (Left) looks on as Kristen Clarke delivers remarks after being nominated to be civil rights division assistant attorney general, in Wilmington, Delaware, on Jan. 07, 2021. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

The Department of Justice has opened an investigation into the police department in Lexington, Mississippi, based on allegations of “systemic violations of the Constitution and federal law.”

The DOJ said it will investigate the Lexington Police Department’s (LPD) policies and procedures—such as its use of force, stops and searches, and arrests—to determine whether the procedures are violations of civil rights.

Lexington has a population of around 1,600 people, a police department of fewer than 10 officers, and is located an hour from the state capital of Jackson, Mississippi.

The DOJ, she said, will protect the rights of residents in all, whether they live in rural communities or large cities.

“No city, no town and no law enforcement agency is too large or too small to evade our enforcement of the constitutional rights every American enjoys,” Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division said. “We are opening this investigation to determine whether the Lexington Police Department engages in a pattern or practice of discriminatory policing, excessive force or First Amendment violations. This investigation should send a clear message to small and mid-size police departments that they are not exempt from the obligation to provide fair, effective and non-discriminatory policing. We will leave no community behind, including underserved regions in the Deep South, in our quest to ensure lawful and constitutional policing in America.”

Ms. Clarke said the LPD has promised to cooperate in the investigation, which will involve the DOJ connecting with community groups to survey their interactions with the police department.

Ms. Clarke referenced the “Goon Squad,” the six former Mississippi Sheriff’s deputies who pleaded guilty to the torture and abuse of three people in two separate incidents.

The defendants—five former Rankin County sheriff’s deputies and one former Richland city police officer—were charged with 16 felonies connected to the violation of civil rights.

All six pleaded guilty to charges such as civil rights conspiracy, deprivation of rights under the color of law, discharging a firearm during a crime of violence, and conspiracy to obstruct justice.

“Accountability applies everywhere, and we hope this investigation makes crystal clear our commitment to ensuring constitutional policing in every corner of the country,” she said.

(From top L) Former Rankin County sheriff’s deputies Hunter Elward, Christian Dedmon, Brett McAlpin, Jeffrey Middleton, Daniel Opdyke, and former Richland police officer Joshua Hartfield appear at the Rankin County Circuit Court in Brandon, Miss., on Aug. 14, 2023. Rogelio V. Solis/AP Photo

Significant Evidence

In a press conference, Ms. Clarke said there is significant evidence to conclude that there is justification for an investigation into the police department.

“For example, there are allegations that Lexington police officers have stopped, searched, and arrested people without justification,” she said.

She added that there is evidence of officers using force against citizens who didn’t pose a threat, as well as using illegal roadblocks targeted at black drivers, in addition to retaliating against people who questioned their actions.

“The police department also appears to have violated First Amendment rights by routinely arresting people merely for using profanity,” she said. “Community members have offered troubling accounts of how these alleged practices have affected their lives, of injuries caused by gratuitous and excessive force, of alleged sexual assault, and of repression and reprisal.”

The allegations are coming out of a community that’s previously experienced racial discrimination and economic disadvantage, she said.

“About 86 percent of Lexington’s population is black and it has a poverty rate approaching 30 percent,” she said. “But it also has a story placed in Civil Rights history. In the face of violent opposition, residents persisted in exercising their right to vote and in 1967, elected the first black representative to the Mississippi state legislature in the 20^th century who later went on to become Speaker of the Mississippi House.”

Despite these statements, Ms. Clarke said the DOJ has drawn no conclusions on what’s taking place in Lexington, and that it’s just the beginning of the investigation.

“We are committed to conducting an independent, comprehensive, and fair investigation,” she said. “We will review incident reports, body-worn camera footage, and other information regarding the interactions of Lexington Police Officers with the public.”

The department’s policies and training materials will also be reviewed, she said, as well as other internal documents, to understand how the department operates.

“We will meet with police officers and observe them during their shifts to learn about their practices and we will meet with members of the community every step of the way to hear about their experiences with the department,” she said. “As in every investigation, we will follow the facts and the law wherever they lead.”

She added that the Lexington Police Department is one of the smallest they have investigated but one that represents most law enforcement agencies in the country.

Recent investigations into police departments in larger cities such as Seattle and Baltimore have led to significant reform and reduction of use-of-force.

“Misconduct by law enforcement, excessive force, discrimination, illegal stops and searches, violations of First Amendment, rights, all of this abuses and undermines public trust and harms racial minorities and other vulnerable populations,” she said. “This discredits law enforcement. These problems though can be fixed. It is possible to restore public trust, to build a working relationship with the community, and to instill in departments a culture of nondiscrimination and respect for constitutional rights.”

In response to The Epoch Times request for a statement on the investigation, the LPD said, “no comment.”