Feds Investigate Mississippi Sheriff’s Department For Racial Profiling And Excessive Force

Rankin County, Mississippi, and the Rankin County Sheriff's Department are being investigated.

On September 19, the Department of Justice announced it would investigate whether Rankin County, Mississippi, and the Rankin County Sheriff’s Department (RCSD) violated citizens’ civil rights through patterns or practices that contravene the U.S. Constitution and federal law.

According to a press release, the investigation is set to evaluate all types of force used by the department, including its use of deadly force. It will also determine whether or not the RCSD violated the Fourth Amendment by utilizing unlawful stops, searches, and arrests as well as if the department violated the 14th Amendment, Title VI and the Safe Streets Act by conducting discriminatory policing.

According to Attorney General Merrick Garland, “The public is now well aware of the heinous attack inflicted on two Black men by Rankin County deputies who called themselves the ‘Goon Squad,’” Attorney General Merrick Garland said.

Garland continued, “Those officers have since been convicted and sentenced, but we are launching this civil pattern or practice investigation to examine serious allegations that the Rankin County Sheriff’s Department systematically violates people’s constitutional rights through excessive use of force; unlawful stops, searches, and arrests; and discriminatory policing. These include allegations that Rankin County deputies have overused tasers, entered homes unlawfully, used racial slurs, and deployed dangerous, cruel tactics to assault people in their custody. We are committed to working with local officials, deputies, and the community to conduct a comprehensive investigation.”

Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke, who is part of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, described the acts of the officers as “racially charged” in her statement.

“The violent, unlawful, and racially charged actions of the so-called Goon Squad left lasting and damaging effects on the community,” Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke said.

Clarke continued, “Since the Goon Squad’s sickening acts came to light, we have received reports of other instances where Rankin deputies overused tasers, entered homes unlawfully, bandied about shocking racial slurs, and deployed dangerous, cruel tactics to assault people in their custody. Based on an extensive review of publicly available information as well as complaints provided to us, we have grounds to open a pattern or practice investigation into the Rankin County Sheriff’s Department now. The Justice Department will conduct a comprehensive and fair investigation into allegations of racially discriminatory policing of Black communities, the use of excessive force, and violations of the Fourth Amendment.”

U.S. Attorney Todd W. Gee, who represents the Southern District of Mississippi, said that the attacks hearken back to Jim Crow-era violence in Mississippi.

“The information we have learned to date about the conduct of some members of the Rankin County Sheriff’s office calls back to some of the worst periods of Mississippi’s history,” U.S. Attorney Todd W. Gee said.

Gee continued, “We do not have to accept the old hatreds and abuse of the past. And we do not have to accept the false claim that safety comes at the price of illegal force and abuse of power. We will conduct an impartial and thorough review of the Rankin County Sheriff’s Office, and if we find violations, we will take necessary action to address them.”