WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥� Police in a majority Black Mississippi city discriminate against Black people, use excessive force and retaliate against people who criticize them, the Justice Department said Thursday in a scathing report detailing findings of an investigation into civil rights abuses.
The Lexington Police Department has a 鈥減ersistent pattern or practice of unconstitutional conduct,鈥� according to the Justice Department, which launched an investigation following accusations that officers used excessive force and arrested people without justification.
"Today鈥檚 findings show that the Lexington Police Department abandoned its sacred position of trust in the community by routinely violating the constitutional rights of those it was sworn to protect,鈥� Attorney General Merrick Garland said in an emailed statement.
The Justice Department said the police department 鈥渉as created a system where officers can relentlessly violate the law" through a combination of 鈥減oor leadership, retaliation and a complete lack of internal accountability,鈥�
Alanna Durkin Richer, The Associated Press
