Lexington, Mississippi, Police Discriminated Against Black Residents, Justice Department Says
AP
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Police in a majority-black Mississippi city discriminated against black people, used excessive force and retaliated against critics, the Justice Department said Thursday in a scathing report detailing the findings of an investigation into civil rights violations.
The Lexington Police Department has a “persistent pattern or practice of unconstitutional conduct,” according to the Justice Department, which launched an investigation following accusations that officers used excessive force and arrested people without justification.
“Today’s findings demonstrate that the Lexington Police Department has abandoned its sacred position of trust in the community by routinely violating the constitutional rights of those it is sworn to protect,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said in an emailed statement.
The Justice Department said the police “created a system in which officers could relentlessly violate the law” through a combination of “poor leadership, retaliation and a complete lack of internal accountability.”
A Lexington Police Department staff member who answered a phone call seeking comment said Police Chief Charles Henderson was not immediately available for an interview. The staff member declined to provide comment on behalf of the department.
Investigators found that officers used Tasers like a “cattle prod” to punish people, shocking a black man 18 times until he was covered in his own vomit and unable to speak, Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke told reporters.
“Black people are most impacted by the unlawful conduct of the Lexington Police Department,” Clarke said.
The investigation also found that police are issuing fines “at almost every opportunity,” often for minor infractions, said Todd Gee, U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Mississippi. They are illegally arresting people and holding them behind bars until they can pay the money they owe, he added.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
