The U.S. Department of Justice announced Friday it has reached a settlement to reform the City of Lexington and its police department, which a DOJ investigation found had discriminated against Black residents, used excessive force, and retaliated against critics. The agreement aims to bring the department's practices into compliance with state and federal law.
The settlement follows a scathing 2024 DOJ report detailing how the Lexington Police Department routinely violated the civil rights of citizens in the rural, majority-Black city. According to the report, police disproportionately targeted Black individuals for arrests, made arrests for minor offenses to generate revenue, and detained people for extended periods if they could not afford to pay fines.
Under the terms of the settlement, the Lexington Police Department is barred from jailing individuals for unpaid fines without first assessing their ability to pay, a practice that violates the Fourteenth Amendment. The 2024 report indicated that the city court had issued arrest warrants for over 650 people, nearly half the city's population, for unpaid fines.
The city and police department are also required to dismiss all existing warrants for unlawful fines and fees and expunge records of convictions based on those unlawful fines. Furthermore, the settlement prohibits the creation or implementation of quota or incentive systems for stops, warnings, citations, arrests, or related revenue generation. The DOJ previously found that between 2022 and 2024, the Lexington Police Department's per-capita arrest rate was more than ten times the state average.
The agreement mandates DOJ-approved training for officers on stops, searches, arrests, and the use of force. It also requires the implementation of documentation and review systems to ensure these actions are lawful. U.S. Attorney J.E. Baxter Kruger for the Southern District of Mississippi stated in a news release that the reforms aim to address the investigation's findings and foster practices that respect the rights and dignity of all individuals.
The DOJ will collaborate with Lexington to ensure compliance with the terms. The agreement is set for an initial three-year period, with potential for modification based on whether the city and police department achieve compliance.
The Department of Justice initiated its probe into the Lexington Police Department in 2023. This investigation was prompted by accusations from citizens alleging officers used roadblocks to target Black drivers, employed excessive force, committed sexual assault, and made unjustified arrests.