The U.S. Department of Justice has reached a settlement mandating comprehensive reforms within the Lexington Police Department and the city of Lexington, Mississippi, following findings of systemic discrimination and civil rights violations. The agreement, announced Friday, comes in the wake of a detailed 2024 Justice Department report that identified multiple instances of unlawful policing practices in the predominantly Black, rural community located about 65 miles north of Jackson.
Federal investigators found that the Lexington Police Department routinely targeted Black residents for arrest, employed excessive force, and retaliated against individuals who criticized law enforcement. The report also revealed that officials used arrests for minor offenses as a revenue-generating tactic, imposing fines that many residents were unable to pay. In response, those individuals faced extended detention periods. The 2024 report further noted that the local court had issued warrants for unpaid fines against more than 650 people—roughly half of the city’s population.
Under the terms of the settlement, Lexington is required to reform policing and municipal court practices concerning the issuance of fines and bail, as well as the conduct of stops, searches, and use of force. The city and police department must dismiss all outstanding warrants tied to unlawful fine-based convictions and work to expunge those records.
The settlement explicitly prohibits the creation or enforcement of any quota or incentive systems connected to stops, citations, arrests, or the generation of revenue. Justice Department findings indicated that between 2022 and 2024, the Lexington Police Department made arrests at a rate exceeding one for every four residents—a figure more than ten times higher than the state average for Mississippi.
In addition to dismissing unlawful warrants and banning quota systems, the agreement requires the police department to implement Justice Department-approved training programs related to stops, searches, arrests, and use of force. The department must also establish documentation and review mechanisms to ensure compliance with both federal and state laws.
The inquiry that led to these findings was initiated in 2023 after local residents reported instances of roadblocks targeting Black drivers, unwarranted arrests, excessive force, and allegations of sexual assault by police officers.
The settlement is set to remain in effect for three years, with provisions allowing for early termination or extension contingent on demonstrated compliance. Officials from the city and police department did not immediately respond to requests for comment.