Justice Department Announces Probe of Mississippi Police Department

The Justice Department announced on Wednesday there will be a civil rights probe into the police department of Lexington, Mississippi after a number of complaints, including people being arrested for using profanity.

Kristen Clarke, head of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division, announced the probe at a Wednesday press conference.

"No city, no town and no law enforcement agency is too large or too small to evade our enforcement of the constitutional rights every American enjoys," she said.

The police department in question contains fewer than 10 officers in a community of roughly 1600 people with more than 80% of that population being Black, according to Clarke. The attorney noted half of America's police forces are made up of less than 10 officers. The investigation will focus on "systemic violations" of federal law and constitutional rights.

The investigation follows Sam Dobbins, the former police chief in Lexington, being fired last year over an audio recording where he used racial slurs and boasting about killing over a dozen people.

"I don’t give a f—k if you kill a motherf—ker in cold blood… I will articulate to fix the f**king problem, and I’m the only man in the business here that’s smart enough to do it," the former police chief said in the recording.

Complaints about Lexington's police department have included everything from unjustified searches to people being arrested "merely for using profanity" while criticizing or recording a police activist. They are also accused of using excessive force on suspects using "illegal roadblocks to target Black drivers."' They are also accused of using excessive force on suspects using "illegal roadblocks to target Black drivers."

Clarke said members of the Lexington community have offered "troubling accounts" of these alleged abuses of power, including arrests for "people exercising their right to question police action or record police activity."

"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 cannot reach such an agreement, then the Justice Department is authorized to bring a civil lawsuit seeking injunctive relief to address the violations."