Mississippi Civil Rights Probe
FILE - A Lexington, Miss., police cruiser is parked outside their facility near the town square, Monday, Aug. 15, 2022. The Lexington police department unconstitutionally jailed people for unpaid fines without first assessing whether they could afford to pay them, the U.S. Department of Justice said Thursday, Feb. 29, 2024.
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The U.S. Department of Justice announced Friday it reached a settlement forcing reforms for a Mississippi city and its police department, which the DOJ found discriminated against Black people, used excessive force and retaliated against critics. The settlement comes after a scathing 2024 DOJ report said the Lexington Police Department routinely violated citizens’ civil rights in the rural, poor, majority-Black city. The out-of-court settlement requires the City of Lexington and its police department to reform their practices on a number of issues — from fines and bail to stops, searches and use of force — and bring them into compliance with state and federal law.