Charges could lead to civil rights lawsuit against Rankin County Sheriff's Department

Brian Howey and Nate Rosenfield examine the power of Mississippi sheriffs' offices as part of the New York Times Local Investigations Fellowship.

More than two months after deputies were convicted of torturing two black men in central Mississippi, federal prosecutors have expanded their investigation and may pursue the Rankin County Sheriff's Department for civil rights violations, a serious escalation which could lead to federal oversight.

Todd Gee, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Mississippi, raised the possibility at a meeting last month, where he urged local residents in attendance to come forward if they had experienced violence or discrimination on the part of the deputies.

More than 50 people, including defense attorneys and civil rights advocates, gathered at a library outside Jackson, Mississippi. Some described being harassed or falsely accused of crimes by deputies, according to several people who attended the meeting, which took place behind closed doors. press.

“Information from people like you can make a difference,” Mr. Gee told the crowd, according to video of the meeting obtained by reporters.

He explained that if the deputies' misconduct has been going on for years, it could be evidence of a pattern of civil rights violations that could lead to charges against the department.

Rather than focusing on individual acts of misconduct, “pattern or practice” investigations determine whether civil rights violations have become part of an agency's overall culture. Prosecutors can sue a department and obtain a consent decree, a legally binding agreement that would require the department to implement reforms.

Rankin County gained national attention last year after deputies, some from a unit that called itself the Goon Squad, tortured two black men in their home and shot one of them in the face , almost killing him. Six officers pleaded guilty and were sentenced to federal prison in March.

An investigation by The New York Times and Mississippi Today last fall found that nearly two dozen residents suffered similar brutality when Rankin deputies broke into their homes looking for illegal drugs.

Rankin County Sheriff Bryan Bailey, who has led the department since 2012, has vowed to stay in office despite calls for his resignation from the local NAACP chapter and other community members.

Department officials did not respond to requests for comment on the federal investigation. Sheriff Bailey denied knowledge of his deputies' decades-long reputation for violence.

At the community meeting, some residents expressed concern that the sheriff had not been held accountable.

“You could feel the frustration,” said Dr. Ava Harvey, a local pastor who attended the meeting. “Something has to be done because the trust is broken. »

Federal prosecutors have held meetings like these in other cities across the country as they prepare lawsuits against police departments for civil rights violations — in Minneapolis after a police officer killed George Floyd and in Ferguson , in Missouri, after a police officer fatally shot Michael Brown, an unarmed black teenager.

Minneapolis' consent decree requires officers to use de-escalation tactics whenever possible, limits the use of tear gas during protests and prohibits officers from stopping drivers for broken tail lights. In Ferguson, the police department is now required to limit police use of force and end discriminatory policing practices.

Justice Department officials declined to comment on their Mississippi investigation or the community meeting.

Angela English, president of the Rankin County chapter of the NAACP, who helped coordinate the meeting, said prosecutors asked people who did not want to detail their stories publicly to speak privately with investigators. The U.S. attorney's office plans to hold more meetings, she said, noting that prosecutors are still gaining the community's trust.

“A lot of people are still afraid of what could happen to their families if they speak out,” she said. “As long as people like Bryan Bailey are still in charge – and this has happened under his leadership – then there will always be that level of distrust.”

In a statement to The Times and Mississippi Today two weeks ago, the Rankin County Sheriff's Department said it conducted an internal review of its deputies.

The review came after news organizations reported that, for a generation, Rankin County deputies had terrorized local residents accused of drug possession. More than 20 people said deputies beat, strangled, drowned or burned them during home searches and traffic stops.

In many cases, people said they filed complaints about their experiences — or personally told Sheriff Bailey about the abuse — only to then ignore them.

Besides the convicted deputies, at least four others who were present when someone was allegedly tortured by police have left the department in recent months. Three were fired for refusing to cooperate with an internal investigation, and another resigned in good standing, according to Mississippi Department of Public Safety records. In December, another deputy resigned to avoid being fired after violating department policy and procedures, records show. Sheriff's Department officials did not respond to requests for comment on why the deputies left.

The department conducted another investigation in late May after The Times and Mississippi Today discovered a private chat thread in which deputies discussed the beating of criminal suspects, exchanged rape memes and posted photos of human corpses in decomposition that they had found at work.

Department officials said Sheriff Bailey was unaware of the private group chat.

“We are confident that the actions of our current employees are and will continue to be appropriate as they serve the citizens of Rankin County,” department officials said in a statement.

In recent months, more local residents have told the press that they were mistreated by deputies, and at least three people have filed federal lawsuits against the department, accusing deputies of using a excessive force against them in prison or during their arrests.

In a lawsuit filed against the department two weeks ago, Christopher Mack said that in 2021, deputies beat him for 45 minutes at the county jail after he refused to share drug and gang information with MPs.

Several inmates helped deputies during the beating, Mr. Mack said in an interview. Photos he said were taken immediately after the beating showed his blackened eyes and bruised back. Red spots on his forehead and nose show the imprint of a deputy's boot, he said, and he was hospitalized and treated for a broken rib.

“It bothers me mentally every day,” Mr Mack said, adding that since the incident he has been diagnosed with an anger disorder which may result from trauma and is now taking medication for epilepsy to treat seizures. “I remain angry. I just stay angry all the time.

After the attack, Mr. Mack said, Sheriff Bailey asked him who had beaten him. Mr. Mack said that when he told the sheriff it was his own deputies, Sheriff Bailey swore and walked away.

The department did not respond to requests for comment on the lawsuit.

Residents have already approached the local NAACP chapter to complain about the conduct of deputies, according to Ms. English. Until recently, many were too afraid to act, but as more people come forward, Ms. English said, their neighbors are becoming bolder to speak out.

“People are fed up,” she said. “They will not allow this to happen again. »