DEPARTMENT WITH MORE. ROSS WHAT DID THE DOJ FIND? AUTHORITIES SAY THEY FOUND PATTERN OF UNLAWFUL CONDUCT BY POLICE TARGETING BLACK PEOPLE WHO MAKE UP 75 PERCENT OF THE TOWN'S POPULATION. ALSO, PEOPLE WHO OWE EXCESSIVE FINES STAY LOCKED UP UNTIL THEY PAY UP. AFTER A NEARLY YEAR, LONG INVESTIGATION THE US JUSTICE DEPARTMENT HAS FOUND THE LEXINGTON, MISSISSIPPI POLICE DEPARTMENT ENGAGES IN A PATTERN AND PRACTICE OF DISCRIMINATING AGAINST BLACK PEOPLE, USING EXCESSIVE FORCE EVEN WHEN ARRESTING PEOPLE FOR SWEARING IN PUBLIC. KRISTEN CLARKE/ASSISTANT ATTORNEY GENERAL <THE FIRST AMENDMENT PROTECTS SWEARING. YET THE LEXINGTON POLICE BROKE DOWN A MAN'S BACK DOOR FOR SWEARING IN A PUBLIC SPACE.> ASSISTANT ATTORNEY GENERAL FOR THE DOJ CIVIL RIGHTS DIVISION KRISTEN CLARKE JOINED MISSISSIPPI SOUTHERN JOINED DISTRICT US ATTORNEY TODD GEE FOR A VIRTUAL NEWS CONFERENCE THURSDAY TO ANNOUNCE THE FINDINGS WHICH THEY BELIEVE THE POLICE FORCE, AND ONE OF THE POOREST COUNTIES IN MISSISSIPPI FORCE PEOPLE TO STAY LOCKED IF THEY CAN'T PAY EXCESSIVE FINES. 3:41-3:48 <IN AMERICA BEING POOR IS NOT A CRIME. BUT IN LEXINGTON, THEIR PRACTICES PUNISH PEOPLE FOR POVERTY.> TODD GEE/U.S. ATTORNEY <OUR INVESTIGATION FOUND THAT THE LEXINGTON POLICE DEPARTMENT FUNDS IT'S VERY EXISTENCE BY COLLECTING FINES FOR PETTY OFFENSES.> HOLMES COUNTY DEPUTY ROBERT HOOKER SERVED ON THE LEXINGTON POLICE FORCE FOR SIX MONTHS. HE BELIEVES HIS RECORDINGS OF FORMER POLICE CHIEF SAM DOBBINS MAKING RACIST COMMENTS IS WHAT FIRST GOT THE ATTENTION OF FEDERAL INVESTIGATORS. ROBERT HOOKER/HOLMES COUNTY DEPUTY <IT WAS UNBEARABLE BEING A BLACK MAN. WHY WOULD YOU SAY THAT? WHO DO YOU THINK YOU TALKING TO? IN THE BACK OF MY MIND, I SAID THESE THINGS. WHY WOULD YOU SAY THAT TO A BLACK MAN?.> THE DOJ SAYS THE DEPARTMENT HAS MADE MODEST CHANGES BUT MUCH MORE NEEDS TO BE DONE TO MAKE MEETING FULL REFORM. ROSS ADAMS 16 WAPT NEW
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'Policing for profit scheme' revealed by DOJ investigation into Lexington police
Excessive force, unlawful stops, searches and arrests found, feds say
Angela Williams
Digital Media Manager
An investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice found that the Lexington police use excessive force, unlawfully jail people and discriminate against Black people.“After an extensive review, we found that police officers in Lexington routinely make illegal arrests, use brutal and unnecessary force and punish people for their poverty,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke. “For too long, the Lexington Police Department has been playing by its own rules and operating with impunity — it’s time for this to end.”Tap here to read the findings reportClarke, with the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, and U.S. Attorney Todd W. Gee for the Southern District of Mississippi, announced the results of the investigation during a call with reporters on Thursday. They listed several examples of people who had been jailed for extended periods for back fines and some for using profanity in public.“The fact that fines and fees fund the department drives its law enforcement, resulting in a crude policing for profit scheme,” Clarke said. “The Lexington Police Department operates under an unconstitutional conflict of financial interest.”Clarke said residents of the majority-Black rural town of 1,200 are left feeling “harassed, helpless and hopeless.” As an example, Clarke spoke of a man who police chased down and shot with a stun gun until he foamed at the mouth. Clarke said in previous months, the man had been arrested for stealing sugar packets from a gas station, for which he spent 13 days in jail. The same man had previously spent four days in jail for taking a second cup of coffee after he paid for the first. “Each time, the Lexington police kept him in jail because the man could not afford to pay the fines or the $50 processing fee Lexington charges for every arrest,” Clarke said. “Especially for a person in poverty, these fines are no small thing. Even though he has no money, the man owes the Lexington Police Department $7,500.”Clarke said at no point did the police or the city assess the man’s ability to pay the fines. Another Black man was arrested for stealing less than $20 in gas. His fine was $300, but Clarke said he spent two weeks in jail waiting for the next court hearing. “In America, being poor is not a crime, but in Lexington, their practices punish people for poverty,” Clarke said.Lexington police were also found to implement "investigative holds" without being charged with any crime, which is unconstitutional. They also arrested and fined people for using profanity in public. Clarke said in one case, police kicked in the back door of a man's home and arrested him because he swore in public. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 50 years ago that cursing in public is protected by the First Amendment as the right to free speech.The investigation began on Nov. 8, 2023, and included an extensive review of LPD’s records, arrest reports and body-worn camera footage. City and police leaders and officers were interviewed, and investigators rode along with officers. They also observed Lexington Municipal Court proceedings and met with community members.
JACKSON, Miss. —
An investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice found that the Lexington police use excessive force, unlawfully jail people and discriminate against Black people.
“After an extensive review, we found that police officers in Lexington routinely make illegal arrests, use brutal and unnecessary force and punish people for their poverty,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke. “For too long, the Lexington Police Department has been playing by its own rules and operating with impunity — it’s time for this to end.”
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Tap here to read the findings report
Clarke, with the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, and U.S. Attorney Todd W. Gee for the Southern District of Mississippi, announced the results of the investigation during a call with reporters on Thursday. They listed several examples of people who had been jailed for extended periods for back fines and some for using profanity in public.
“The fact that fines and fees fund the department drives its law enforcement, resulting in a crude policing for profit scheme,” Clarke said. “The Lexington Police Department operates under an unconstitutional conflict of financial interest.”
Clarke said residents of the majority-Black rural town of 1,200 are left feeling “harassed, helpless and hopeless.”
As an example, Clarke spoke of a man who police chased down and shot with a stun gun until he foamed at the mouth. Clarke said in previous months, the man had been arrested for stealing sugar packets from a gas station, for which he spent 13 days in jail. The same man had previously spent four days in jail for taking a second cup of coffee after he paid for the first.
“Each time, the Lexington police kept him in jail because the man could not afford to pay the fines or the $50 processing fee Lexington charges for every arrest,” Clarke said. “Especially for a person in poverty, these fines are no small thing. Even though he has no money, the man owes the Lexington Police Department $7,500.”
DOJ launches civil rights investigation in Lexington
Clarke said at no point did the police or the city assess the man’s ability to pay the fines. Another Black man was arrested for stealing less than $20 in gas. His fine was $300, but Clarke said he spent two weeks in jail waiting for the next court hearing.
“In America, being poor is not a crime, but in Lexington, their practices punish people for poverty,” Clarke said.
Lexington police were also found to implement "investigative holds" without being charged with any crime, which is unconstitutional. They also arrested and fined people for using profanity in public. Clarke said in one case, police kicked in the back door of a man's home and arrested him because he swore in public. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 50 years ago that cursing in public is protected by the First Amendment as the right to free speech.
The investigation began on Nov. 8, 2023, and included an extensive review of LPD’s records, arrest reports and body-worn camera footage. City and police leaders and officers were interviewed, and investigators rode along with officers. They also observed Lexington Municipal Court proceedings and met with community members.