Years after turmoil within the Lexington Police Department and allegations surfaced of discriminatory policing practices, excessive force and retaliation against critics, the city has adopted federally recommended reforms and has outed its police chief.
“These victories demonstrate the power of lawful protest and civic engagement, and they show that our methods are effective. We thank the community for standing together to demand change, and we commend the aldermen for finally heeding the community’s voice,” attorney Jill Collen Jefferson, founder of the legal organization JULIAN, said in a statement.
JULIAN filed the first lawsuit against the city and police department in 2022 that is scheduled for oral argument before the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals next week. Other lawsuits have alleged retaliatory use of force and unlawful detention by the Lexington police.
The U.S. Department of Justice opened a pattern and practice investigation into the Lexington police in 2023, and less than a year later it released its investigation report detailing the department’s violations of the First, Fourth and 14th Amendments. The DOJ found Lexington police jailed people for unpaid fines without determining whether people could afford to pay, resulting in a “two-tiered system of justice.”
Lexington, located at the edge of the Delta, is majority Black and 30% of the population is in poverty, according to U.S. Census estimates.
To remedy the constitutional violations, the Justice Department made several recommendations for the city to adopt, which include ensuring that officers who make stops, searches and arrests are authorized to use force with clear direction, have sufficient training and supervision and improve record-keeping to hold officers accountable for inappropriate or unlawful conduct.
Lexington residents hold up signs at a Jan. 6, 2026, mayor and board of aldermen meeting, calling on the city to respond to the Department of Justice findings regarding problems with the police department. Credit:Hence then, the article about lexington ousts police chief and adopts policing reforms was published today ( ) and is available on Mississippi Today ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Lexington ousts police chief and adopts policing reforms )
Also on site :