The Justice Department has launched a civil rights investigation into Rankin County, Mississippi, and its Sheriff’s Department to uncover any patterns or practices that violate the Constitution or federal law. It will examine all types of force used by the department, including deadly force, and will assess whether they are unlawful stops, searches, arrests, and racist and discriminatory policing.
Attorney Merrick Garland stated that the public is now aware of the heinous attack inflicted on two Black men who were by Rankin County deputies who called themselves the Goon Squad. Those officers have been convicted and sentenced, but they’re launching an investigation to examine the allegations that the department systematically violates people’s constitutional rights.
The investigation follows reports of excessive taser use, unlawful home entries, racial slurs, and cruel tactics used by deputies related to the violent assault of two Black men, Michael Jenkins and Eddie Parker. This is the 12th pattern or practice investigation launched by the DOJ under the Biden administration.
Click play to listen to the report from AURN White House Correspondent Ebony McMorris. For more news, follow @E_N_McMorris & @aurnonline.
