Department of Justice launches investigation of Lexington Police for alleged civil rights violations

Newly appointed U.S. Legal professional Todd Gee will work collectively with federal company to find out if officers violated rights of African American residents

In August 2022, a civil rights lawsuit was filed towards the Lexington Police Division alleging violations of African Americans’ constitutional rights. Now, the U.S. Division of Justice has launched its personal investigation into the allegations.

Lexington is a small metropolis, comprised of roughly 1,600 individuals, the overwhelming majority of whom are African American. Final 12 months, Sam Dobbins, the white former police chief of the Lexington Police Division, was fired attributable to leaked audio which allegedly captured him utilizing racial slurs, along with telling one among his officers he wouldn’t care if the officer “killed a motherf–ker in chilly blood,” and that he, himself, had killed 13 individuals within the line of responsibility.

Within the wake of Dobbins dismissal, a civil rights group, JULIAN, filed the lawsuit. The go well with consists of 5 Lexington residents as plaintiffs, Robert Harris, Eric Redmond, Malcolm Stewart and Peter Reeves. They declare within the go well with to have been mistreated by officers of town’s police division. Defendants within the case embody Dobbins, the previous chief, new Chief of Police Charles Henderson, town of Lexington and the Lexington Police Division. 

JULIAN claims the Lexington police arrange everlasting roadblocks to harass African American residents and that officers conduct searches and seizures with out possible trigger. The lawsuit additionally claims an officer punched one of many named plaintiffs within the go well with in broad daylight at a public enterprise.

Wednesday, the Justice Division issued a launch stating a proper investigation into the division is now underway and “will search to find out the place there are systemic violations of the Structure and the federal regulation. The investigation will deal with the police division’s use of drive and its stops, searches and arrests.”

The discharge goes on to say that the investigation will work to find out if these actions had been non-discriminatory and whether or not the actions revered the First Modification’s safety of freedom of speech and conduct. 

“No metropolis or City and no enforcement company is simply too massive or too small to evade our enforcement of the constitutional rights each American enjoys,” mentioned Assistant Legal professional Basic Kristen Clarke of the Justice Division’s Civil Rights Division. “We’re opening this investigation to find out whether or not the Lexington Police Division engages in a sample or apply of discriminatory policing, extreme drive or First Modification violations. This investigation ought to ship a transparent message to small and mid-size police departments that they don’t seem to be exempt from the duty to offer truthful, efficient and non-discriminatory policing. We’ll go away no group behind, together with underserved areas within the Deep South, in our quest to make sure lawful and constitutional policing in America.”

Todd Gee, the just lately appointed U.S. Legal professional for the Southern District of Mississippi, will work in tandem with the Civil Rights Division on the Division of Justice on the investigation. 

“Cops are trusted with the necessary responsibility to maintain our communities protected. When cops fail to respect constitutional rights, they violate that belief,”  Gee mentioned on Wednesday. “Our workplace is dedicated to making sure that everybody in Mississippi is handled pretty and lawfully by the police. Right this moment’s announcement displays that dedication. We’ll conduct a radical and neutral investigation of LPD, and we are going to take decisive motion to handle any illegal conduct.” 

In accordance with Gee’s launched assertion, the Lexington Police Division was notified of the investigation previous to the announcement being despatched to media shops, and the division has indicated it would cooperate with the Justice Division in the course of the investigation. 

“If the Justice Division has affordable trigger to consider that the regulation enforcement officers of a state or native authorities have engaged in a prohibited sample or apply, the division is allowed to carry a lawsuit looking for court-ordered adjustments to treatment the violations,” the Justice Division launch states. 

Gee says that everybody within the state expects to really feel protected of their properties and in public, however that security shouldn’t come by way of acts of unlawful drive or abuse of energy. 

“The allegations of what has occurred in Lexington are severe. I’ve been to Lexington, and I’ve met with members of the group. A radical investigation of the Lexington police division is important.”

Whereas he cautioned the the general public to keep away from judging the result of the investigation earlier than it’s full, he mentioned he appears ahead to listening to from extra residents of town because the investigation strikes ahead.

“But when we do discover the Lexington police are participating in a sample or apply of civil rights violations, I hope we are going to arrive at treatments that guarantee Lexington may have a police drive that fights crime, protects the group’s civil rights and serves as a very good instance for small regulation enforcement businesses in rural communities all through Mississippi and the nation,” Gee mentioned in Wednesday’s launch. 

One other lawsuit seems to have been filed in October of this 12 months towards the identical division by the ACLU-MS and worldwide regulation agency O’Melveny & Myers LLP for separate civil rights violations. That go well with alleges the plaintiff, Alexis Jew, was wrongfully arrested on Dec. 14, 2021 and whereas in custody was knowledgeable by Dobbins she wanted to pay money so as to be launched. Defendants listed within the go well with embody Henderson and Dobbins. The rationale for the wonderful was not disclosed to Jew and the go well with alleges information had been falsified to cowl up the absence of a correct authorized course of in relation to her arrest.