DOJ reaches settlement with Mississippi police department it found routinely violated civil rights

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — The U.S. Department of Justice announced Friday it reached a settlement forcing reforms in a Mississippi city and its police department, which the DOJ found discriminated against Black people, used excessive force and retaliated against critics.The settlement comes after a scathing 2024 DOJ report said the Lexington Police Department routinely violated citizens' civil rights in the rural, poor, majority-Black city located about 65 miles (100 kilometers) north of the state's capital. Police targeted Black people for arrests, made arrests for low-level offenses to generate money for the police department and locked people up for extended periods of time if they could not afford to pay fines, according to the report.The out-of-court settlement requires the City of Lexington and its police department to reform practices on a number of issues — from fines and bail to stops, searches and use of force — and bring them into compliance with state and federal law.The Associ