Federal Civil Rights Probe into Rankin County

The U.S. Justice Department has launched a civil rights investigation into the Rankin County Sheriff's Department in Mississippi following the conviction of several deputies, part of a group known as the 'Goon Squad,' for torturing two Black men in a racially motivated attack. The probe will examine whether the department engages in excessive force, unlawful stops, searches, and arrests, and racially discriminatory practices. The investigation follows the officers' guilty pleas and lengthy prison sentences for a 2023 home invasion where they beat, sexually assaulted, and shot one of the victims. Reports and investigations suggest that such abuses may have been widespread and systematic. Rankin County officials have pledged to cooperate with the investigation. This marks the 12th such investigation into law enforcement misconduct under the Biden administration.