司法部与密西西比州Lexington市达成和解 警局须改革罚款、拦查与武力政策 协议为期三年
美国司法部10月16日宣布，已与密西西比州Lexington市（City of Lexington）达成一项庭外和解协议，以纠正司法部2024年9月26日调查结论报告中列出的违规问题。司法部在该报告中认定，Lexington警察局存在成惯例的民权侵犯行为模式。
据美联社报道，司法部的调查认定该警局歧视黑人居民、使用过度武力，并对批评者进行报复；2024年的报告称，警方以轻微违法为由逮捕居民、为警局创收，无力缴纳罚款的人则被长期关押。报道称，2022年至2024年间，该警局的逮捕人数相当于全镇每四人中就有一人被捕，人均逮捕率超过密西西比州平均水平的10倍。Lexington位于州府杰克逊以北约65英里，人口约1,200人。
根据和解协议，Lexington市与警局将修订罚款与费用、保释与释放标准及利益冲突方面的政策与做法；警局还将修订拦查、搜查、逮捕与使用武力政策，并更新对警员相关行为的记录与审查制度。据美联社报道，市与警局须撤销所有因未缴罚款费用而发出的现存逮捕令，并消除违法罚款定罪的记录；不得以配额或激励方式将拦查、警告、传票、逮捕与收入挂钩；警员须接受经司法部批准的拦查、搜查、逮捕与武力培训。协议为期三年，可视合规情况经双方同意缩短或延长。
司法部民权司助理部长哈米特·迪隆（Harmeet K. Dhillon）在新闻稿中表示，司法部支持地方执法工作，很高兴Lexington市与警局达成协议，以加强警局及其警员合法且必不可少的执法活动。密西西比州南区联邦检察官J·E·巴克斯特·克鲁格（J.E. Baxter Kruger）表示，今天的协议体现了对有意义且可持续变革的共同承诺，希望借这些改革回应调查中发现的问题，并增进公众信任。
司法部表示，将与Lexington市及警局合作，确保其纠正所指的违规行为。司法部对Lexington警察局的调查始于2023年，此前有居民指控警员设立路障针对黑人司机、使用过度武力及无正当理由逮捕等。
DOJ Reaches Settlement With Lexington, Mississippi: Police Must Reform Fines, Stops and Use-of-Force Policies Under Three-Year Agreement
The U.S. Department of Justice announced on October 16 that it has reached an out-of-court settlement agreement with the City of Lexington, Mississippi, to remedy violations described in the Department's findings report of September 26, 2024. In that report, the Department found that the Lexington Police Department engages in a pattern or practice of civil rights violations.
According to the Associated Press, the Justice Department's investigation found that the department discriminated against Black people, used excessive force and retaliated against critics; the 2024 report said police made arrests for low-level offenses to generate money for the police department and locked people up for extended periods if they could not afford to pay fines. Between 2022 and 2024, the department made one arrest for every four people in town, more than 10 times the per-capita arrest rate for the state of Mississippi, the AP reported. Lexington is a town of about 1,200 people located about 65 miles north of the state capital, Jackson.
Under the settlement, the City and the police department will amend policies and practices regarding fines and fees, bail and release criteria, and potential conflicts of interest. The department will also revise its policies and practices regarding stops, searches, arrests and use of force, and update its reporting and review of such activities by officers. According to the AP, the city and the department must also dismiss all existing warrants for unpaid fines and fees that violate the law and move to expunge the records of unlawful fine-based convictions; they are barred from creating a quota or incentive system tying stops, warnings, citations or arrests to revenue; and officers will receive DOJ-approved training on stops, searches, arrests and use of force. The agreement lasts for three years but could be shortened or extended depending on compliance.
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division said in the news release that the Department supports local law enforcement and was very pleased the city and the department reached an agreement to enhance the lawful and essential activities of the department and its officers. U.S. Attorney J.E. Baxter Kruger for the Southern District of Mississippi said the agreement reflects a shared commitment to meaningful and sustainable change, and that through these reforms the Department seeks to strengthen public trust and promote practices that respect the rights and dignity of every person.
The Justice Department said it looks forward to working cooperatively with the city and the department to ensure they remedy the alleged violations. The Department's investigation of the Lexington Police Department began in 2023, after citizens accused officers of using roadblocks to target Black drivers, engaging in excessive force and arresting people without justification, among other claims.
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图片来源：图：密西西比州议会大厦，位于州府杰克逊（资料图）。图片来源：formulanone 摄，经 Wikimedia Commons，CC BY-SA 2.0。Photo: The Mississippi State Capitol in Jackson (file photo). Credit: formulanone via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0.
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