DOJ Reaches Settlement With Lexington, Mississippi: Police Must Reform Fines, Stops and Use-of-Force Policies Under Three-Year Agreement
The U.S. Department of Justice announced on October 16 that it has reached an out-of-court settlement agreement with the City of Lexington, Mississippi, to remedy violations described in the Department's findings report of September 26, 2024. In that report, the Department found that the Lexington Police Department engages in a pattern or practice of civil rights violations.
According to the Associated Press, the Justice Department's investigation found that the department discriminated against Black people, used excessive force and retaliated against critics; the 2024 report said police made arrests for low-level offenses to generate money for the police department and locked people up for extended periods if they could not afford to pay fines. Between 2022 and 2024, the department made one arrest for every four people in town, more than 10 times the per-capita arrest rate for the state of Mississippi, the AP reported. Lexington is a town of about 1,200 people located about 65 miles north of the state capital, Jackson.
Under the settlement, the City and the police department will amend policies and practices regarding fines and fees, bail and release criteria, and potential conflicts of interest. The department will also revise its policies and practices regarding stops, searches, arrests and use of force, and update its reporting and review of such activities by officers. According to the AP, the city and the department must also dismiss all existing warrants for unpaid fines and fees that violate the law and move to expunge the records of unlawful fine-based convictions; they are barred from creating a quota or incentive system tying stops, warnings, citations or arrests to revenue; and officers will receive DOJ-approved training on stops, searches, arrests and use of force. The agreement lasts for three years but could be shortened or extended depending on compliance.
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division said in the news release that the Department supports local law enforcement and was very pleased the city and the department reached an agreement to enhance the lawful and essential activities of the department and its officers. U.S. Attorney J.E. Baxter Kruger for the Southern District of Mississippi said the agreement reflects a shared commitment to meaningful and sustainable change, and that through these reforms the Department seeks to strengthen public trust and promote practices that respect the rights and dignity of every person.
The Justice Department said it looks forward to working cooperatively with the city and the department to ensure they remedy the alleged violations. The Department's investigation of the Lexington Police Department began in 2023, after citizens accused officers of using roadblocks to target Black drivers, engaging in excessive force and arresting people without justification, among other claims.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：密西西比州议会大厦，位于州府杰克逊（资料图）。图片来源：formulanone 摄，经 Wikimedia Commons，CC BY-SA 2.0。Photo: The Mississippi State Capitol in Jackson (file photo). Credit: formulanone via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0.
