US Justice Department Finds Lexington Police Department in Violation of Civil Rights

Lexington Police Department, as well as the city of Lexington, has been found by the United States Justice Department to be in violation of civil rights.

According to Darkhorse Press, the Justice Department opened an investigation into the city of Lexington and the police department on November 8, 2023. The investigation was opened in accordance with 34 U.S.C. § 12601 (Section 12601), which prohibits law enforcement officers from conducting themselves in a way that deprives citizens of rights protected by federal law and the Constitution.

Lexington Police in violation of civil rightsPhoto byLexington Police Department

The City of Lexington, as well as the police department, have pledged full cooperation and commitment to correcting violations of citizen's civil rights that have been uncovered by the investigation.

The investigation led to the discovery of multiple violations by Lexington and LPD, which include using excessive force, arresting, jailing, and detaining people who cannot pay fines or fees without assessing their ability to pay, conducts stops, searches, and arrests without probable cause, jailing people without prompt access to court, imposing money bail without justification or assessment of ability to pay, discriminating against black people, operating under a conflict of interest because its funding depends on money LPD raises through its enforcement, and violating free speech and expression of citizens by retaliaiting against those who criticize the police.

Lexington, Mississippi is home to approximately 1,200 people. Of those people, about seventy five percent of the population is African American.

The Justice department's investigation revealed that in the last two years, the police department has made almost one arrest for every four people. The bulk of these arrests are for traffic violations and low-level offenses. Many of these arrests were made for offenses such as owing outstanding fines and using profanity. Most of the arrested were black people.

According to Darkhorse Press, while making arrests for these low-level offenses, the Lexington PD has been known to use excessive force by using tactics that are more appropriate for serious offenses and dangerous situations. In one of these cases, officials broke down a man's door to arrest him for swearing at a public official. In another, while making an arrest on a man for having a tinted windshield, officers followed the car to the driver's house, where they forced their way into the home and tased the man for fifteen seconds.

U.S. Attorney Todd Gee for the Southern District of Mississippi stated, "No matter how large or small, every police department has an obligation to follow the constitution."

The Justice Department will be reaching out to members of the Lexington community to receive their thoughts on the department's findings and to ask for input on ways to remedy the situation. Those who would like to recommend solutions may write to Community.LexingtonMS@usdoj.gov .

The Justice Department will also be holding a public meeting for the community at 6:00 p.m. at St. Paul C.O.G.I.C. Fellowship Hall. The address is 17214 Highway 17 South, Lexington. The public is encouraged to attend this meeting.