DOJ Opens Civil Rights Probe Into Mississippi Sheriff’s Department \ Newslooks \ Washington DC \ Mary Sidiqi \ Evening Edition \ The Justice Department has launched a civil rights investigation into the Rankin County Sheriff’s Department in Mississippi following a brutal racist attack by officers on two Black men. The investigation will examine whether the department has engaged in a pattern of excessive force, unlawful searches, and racially discriminatory practices. This follows the conviction of six officers involved in the 2023 assault, in which one of the victims was shot in the mouth.
DOJ Civil Rights Investigation Into Rankin County: Quick Looks
- Scope of Investigation: The DOJ is investigating whether the Rankin County Sheriff’s Department engaged in excessive force, unlawful stops, and racially discriminatory policing.
- Background: Five Rankin deputies and one Richland police officer were convicted in 2023 for a brutal attack on Michael Corey Jenkins and Eddie Terrell Parker, which included beatings, racial slurs, and torture.
- The Goon Squad: The convicted officers were part of a group called the “Goon Squad,” known for their willingness to use excessive force. All six officers were sentenced to 10-40 years in prison.
- Attorney General Statement: Merrick Garland condemned the actions of the convicted officers as “egregious and despicable,” with sentences reflecting the severity of their crimes.
- Justice Department’s Focus: The DOJ is also investigating other troubling incidents involving the sheriff’s department, including unlawful entry into homes, excessive stun gun use, and racial slurs.
- Civil Rights Attorneys’ View: Lawyers for Jenkins and Parker applaud the DOJ’s investigation, describing the department’s violent legacy and calling this a crucial step toward accountability.
Deep Look:
The Department of Justice (DOJ) has opened a civil rights investigation into the Rankin County Sheriff’s Department in Mississippi following the 2023 conviction of several officers involved in a horrific racist attack on two Black men. The DOJ will explore whether the department has engaged in a pattern of excessive force, unlawful stops, and searches, as well as racially discriminatory policing practices, according to Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke.
The investigation follows the conviction of five sheriff’s deputies and one police officer from neighboring Richland for their role in the brutal January 2023 attack on Michael Corey Jenkins and Eddie Terrell Parker. The victims were subjected to hours of physical abuse that included beatings, racial slurs, and the use of stun guns. The assault culminated in Jenkins being shot in the mouth, leaving him severely injured. According to federal prosecutors, the attack was racially motivated, initiated by a call from a white person who complained about two Black men staying with a white woman in a house in Braxton, Mississippi.
The “Goon Squad” and Their Crimes
The officers involved in the attack were part of a self-named group known as the Goon Squad, a clique within the Rankin County Sheriff’s Department notorious for using excessive force. The convicted officers — former deputies Christian Dedmon, Hunter Elward, Jeffrey Middleton, Daniel Opdyke, Brett McAlpin, and former Richland police officer Joshua Hartfield — were sentenced to prison terms ranging from 10 to 40 years. The case, which shocked the local community, became a stark reminder of Mississippi’s troubled history with racial violence, echoing the atrocities of the past.
During the assault, Jenkins and Parker were handcuffed, beaten, and subjected to various forms of humiliation. The officers mocked the victims with racial slurs, poured alcohol and chocolate syrup over them, and forced them to strip naked and shower together to clean up the mess. The cruelty culminated in one officer shooting Jenkins in the mouth, an act of violence that left lasting physical and emotional scars.
DOJ Investigation Expands Beyond the Goon Squad
While the convictions of the six officers provided some measure of justice, Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke made it clear that concerns about the Rankin County Sheriff’s Department extend beyond the Goon Squad. In announcing the civil rights investigation, Clarke said the DOJ has received reports of other incidents involving unlawful home entries, excessive use of stun guns, and the use of racial slurs by deputies. There are allegations that deputies have employed “dangerous, cruel tactics” to assault individuals in custody, further raising concerns about systemic abuses within the department.
“These issues did not end with the demise of the Goon Squad,” Clarke stated. She noted that the investigation aims to determine whether the department has engaged in long-standing patterns of civil rights violations and racially biased policing.
Systemic Failures and Calls for Accountability
The attack on Jenkins and Parker drew national attention following an Associated Press investigation, which linked some of the convicted officers to other violent encounters dating back to 2019. These incidents included the deaths of two Black men in encounters with Rankin County deputies. The scale and severity of these abuses prompted civil rights attorneys Malik Shabazz and Trent Walker — who represent Jenkins and Parker — to call for broader accountability, accusing Rankin County Sheriff Bryan Bailey of allowing a culture of violence to fester under his leadership.
“This is a first, critical step in cleaning up the Sheriff’s Department and holding Rankin County legally accountable for the years of constitutional violations against its citizenry,” Shabazz and Walker said in a joint statement, praising the DOJ’s decision to investigate. They added that the abuse continued despite repeated warnings and calls for oversight.
Sheriff Bailey has not publicly commented on the DOJ investigation, but the allegations of systemic misconduct have fueled calls for sweeping reforms within the department. The Rankin County Sheriff’s Department is now the 11th law enforcement agency in the U.S. to face a DOJ civil rights investigation since 2021, underscoring the broader national conversation about policing practices and racial injustice.
Details of the Goon Squad’s Actions
During the 2023 trial, disturbing details emerged about the culture within the Rankin County Sheriff’s Department. Text messages obtained by federal investigators revealed that members of the Goon Squad frequently discussed using extreme force and other dehumanizing tactics. U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Mississippi Todd Gee said that some deputies even shared videos of officers engaging in humiliating acts, including one incident where an officer defecated in a resident’s home.
Gee emphasized that this investigation aims to confront the department’s dark history of racial violence and excessive force. “In Mississippi and throughout the nation, we have learned over and over that real change in civil rights sometimes requires us to dig up the past, tell painful facts, and offer new ways of doing things,” Gee said. “We intend for this investigation to do that same work in Rankin County.”
A Path Forward
As the investigation unfolds, the DOJ will be looking not only at past incidents of abuse but also at current practices within the Rankin County Sheriff’s Department. The goal is to determine whether the department has fostered a culture of impunity where officers routinely violate the civil rights of residents, particularly Black individuals.
While the convictions of the six officers involved in the January 2023 attack provided a sense of justice for Jenkins and Parker, the DOJ’s civil rights probe may bring about broader systemic changes. For the victims and their attorneys, the investigation represents a chance to address longstanding grievances and ensure that law enforcement in Rankin County is held accountable for its actions.
As U.S. Attorney Todd Gee noted, real change often requires confronting painful truths — and for Rankin County, that process has only just begun.
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