(NewsNation) — The Department of Justice opened a civil rights investigation into the city of Lexington, Mississippi, and its police department over whether it systematically violated the Constitution and federal law.
DOJ officials’ investigation will focus on the Lexington Police Department’s use of force and its stops, searches and arrests to determine whether these activities are “reasonable, non-discriminatory and respect the right to engage in speech and conduct protected by the First Amendment,” according to a news release.
Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke, who leads the Justice Department’s civil rights division, said at a news conference that this investigation was started based on an “extensive” review of publicly available information received from stakeholders.
“We conclude there is significant justification to open this investigation now,” Clarke said at a news conference to announce the investigation Wednesday.
This justification includes allegations that Lexington police officers stopped, searched and arrested people without justification; used force against people who did not pose a threat to officers; used illegal roadblocks targeted at Black drivers and retaliated against people exercising their right to question police action or record police activity.
Community members gave what Clarke called “troubling” accounts of how this excessive force negatively affected their lives and also alleged sexual assault, physical assault, repression and reprisal by police officers.
In addition, Clarke said, the police department appears to have violated First Amendment rights by “routinely arresting people merely for using profanity.”
These allegations, Clarke said, came from a community that had already been facing racial discrimination and economic disadvantage. She noted about 86% of Lexington’s population is Black, and the city has a poverty rate approaching 30%.
“It also has a storied place in civil rights history,” Clarke added.
Incident reports, body-worn camera footage, training materials and other internal documents meant to help the DOJ understand how the Lexington Police Department operates will be reviewed as part of the probe. DOJ officials plan to meet with police officers to observe them during their shifts, and will speak to community members about their experiences with the department.
“To be clear, this is the beginning of the investigation, not the end. We have drawn no conclusions,” Clarke said. “We are committed to conducting an independent, comprehensive and fair investigation.”
Should the DOJ find “reasonable cause” to believe there’s a pattern of violations, it will issue a public report about them. If violations aren’t found, Clarke said, the DOJ will announce that result as well.
“In the event we find violations we will seek to work cooperatively with the city of Lexington and the Lexington Police Department to reach an agreement on remedies,” Clarke said. “If we can’t reach such an agreement, then the Justice Department is authorized to bring a civil lawsuit seeking injunctive relief to address violations.”
Officials in Lexington were briefed about the investigation and pledged their cooperation with it, Clarke said.
A person who answered the telephone at the Lexington Police Department said it had “no comment” and hung up when reached by NewsNation Thursday afternoon.
Lexington’s Police Department is one of the smallest that the DOJ has investigated, Clarke said. The city itself only has about 1,600 residents.
A federal lawsuit accusing police of intimidation and making false arrests among other abuses was filed in 2022 by JULIAN, a civil rights nonprofit organization. Its president, Jill Collen Jefferson, was arrested this past June after filming a traffic stop conducted by Lexington police. Jefferson, according to the Associated Press, believes the arrest was unlawful.
In an interview with the Clarion-Ledger, Jefferson thanked Clarke and the Justice Department’s civil rights division for listening to the Lexington community,
“People lost their jobs over this, people were jailed for no reason and people were beaten. This has been a crisis,” Jefferson said, commending community members’ bravery.
JULIAN has previously obtained an audio recording of then-Lexington Police Chief Sam Dobbins using racial slurs and talking about how many people he had killed in the line of duty. Dobbins was later fired.
Residents of the Southern District of Mississippi can report allegations of civil rights violations by calling 601-973-2825 or visiting the Department of Justice’s website.