US Justice Dept Discovers Abuses Within Mississippi Police Department, Reports Reuters

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Justice Department announced on Thursday that it identified multiple civil rights violations within a small-town police department in Mississippi. The findings revealed that officers routinely employed excessive force and arrested individuals primarily for minor traffic offenses when outstanding fines were owed.

According to the department’s Civil Rights Division, Black residents in Lexington, Mississippi, were disproportionately affected by aggressive policing tactics, with evidence suggesting that these actions were partially motivated by "intentional discrimination."

This investigation is notable for focusing on a police department comprised of approximately 10 officers in a town with a population of just 1,600.

"Small and mid-sized police departments must not be allowed to violate people’s civil rights without consequences," noted Kristen Clarke, the head of the Civil Rights Division, during a press conference. She commented on the police department’s severe impact on the community, describing it as having caused significant turmoil through excessive force, discriminatory practices, and retaliation.

Officials from the Justice Department stated that the police department and the town of Lexington were cooperative and committed to enacting reforms. A representative from the town declined to provide further comment.

The investigation was initiated last year after the former police chief, Sam Dobbins, was dismissed following the emergence of a recording in which he used a racial slur while discussing a shooting incident. Dobbins had previously denied making the slur, according to local news sources.

The Justice Department possesses the authority to conduct investigations that determine if local or state police routinely violate constitutional rights. Such investigations were limited during the administration of former President Donald Trump, but under President Joe Biden, the department has announced 11 similar inquiries into law enforcement agencies.

Many of these investigations are ongoing and could be affected if Trump were to win the upcoming election.

Cities like Minneapolis and Louisville, Kentucky, have agreed to federal oversight following high-profile police killings of Black individuals in those areas.

The report on Lexington centers around what Clarke described as a "crude policing-for-profit scheme,” where the police department’s budget is reliant on revenues generated through law enforcement. The investigation found that arrests were frequently made for minor infractions such as loitering and traffic violations, with individuals held in jail until they could pay outstanding fines.

One case highlighted involved a man who was incarcerated for 12 days for stealing packets of sugar. Over recent years, revenue from fines and fees collected by the police department surged sevenfold, resulting in an outstanding debt of $1.7 million owed to the department.

Additionally, the report detailed instances of retaliation against individuals who scrutinized police actions, along with arrests made for profanity that infringe upon free speech rights. In one notable incident, an officer used profanity during the arrest of an individual for the same offense.