Lexington Police question people about a vehicle they surrounded outside Dollar General Market on Thursday, January 11, 2024 in Lexington, Mississippi. (Photo by Joshua Lott/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
The police force for a Mississippi city where approximately half the population had warrants issued for their arrests will have to undergo multiple reforms following a settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice.
The backstory:
In a 2024 report, the Justice Department accused the Lexington, Mississippi Police Department of discriminating against Black people, using excessive force, and retaliating against critics. The federal agency found that the department routinely violated the civil rights of people in the rural, poor, majority-Black city, which sits about an hour outside of Jackson. It reported that around one-quarter of the population had been arrested, a percentage about 10 times higher than the statewide per capita rate.
What they're saying:
"Through these reforms, we seek not only to address the concerns identified in our investigation, but also to strengthen public trust and promote practices that respect the rights and dignity of every person," U.S. Attorney J.E. Baxter Kruger for the Southern District of Mississippi said in a news release.
Dig deeper:
The DOJ alleged the police department would target Black people for arrests and it would detain people for low-level crimes as a means to raise money for the city. Individuals could also be locked up for long periods of time if they could not pay their fines, the report found. It stated that jailing people for unpaid fines without determining if they could pay them violated the 14th Amendment.
At one point, according to the DOJ, arrest warrants for unpaid fines had been issued for 650 people in the city of around 1,600 residents. As part of its settlement with federal officials, the police department must dismiss all warrants for unpaid fines and fees, and the city will need to expunge the records of those who were unlawfully convicted for fines.
RELATED: America’s safest cities revealed in new 2026 ranking
What's next:
In addition to dismissing those cases, the police department and city will need to take other steps as part of the out-of-court settlement to comply with state and federal law. Officers must first determine if an individual can pay a fine before they arrest them over unpaid fines.
Quotas or incentives for traffic stops, warnings, citations, arrests, or related revenue are also barred, the Justice Department noted. Federally approved training will also be required for how to conduct stops, searches, arrests, and use of force. New documentation and review systems will also be required.
The Source: Information for this article was taken from the Associated Press. This story was reported from Orlando.