RANKIN COUNTY, Miss. — The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Mississippi, along with local partners, has launched the Seven States Safety Campaign, demanding public transparency and accountability in cases of police misconduct.

The campaign kicked off on May 21 with a series of coordinated public records requests targeting Rankin County and six other states where the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), under the Biden administration, had previously found evidence of unconstitutional and racially biased policing.

The states included in the campaign alongside Mississippi are Tennessee, Massachusetts, New York, Arizona, Minnesota, and Kentucky.

The push comes as the Trump administration begins reversing DOJ investigations and scaling back near-final police reform agreements—most notably those in Minneapolis and Louisville, where the DOJ had uncovered systemic civil rights abuses.

“There is no one, regardless of race or political party, who can justify the DOJ’s abrupt decision to no longer investigate and hold accountable the Rankin County Sheriff’s Department,” said Jarvis Dortch, Executive Director of the ACLU of Mississippi. “The Trump administration is essentially giving a green light for police misconduct and unconstitutional policing. If the agency that allowed the goon squad to operate for years doesn’t warrant federal investigation, no law enforcement agency does.”

The demand for continued oversight stems from the widely publicized “Goon Squad” case in Rankin County. The DOJ had opened an investigation into the Rankin County Sheriff’s Department in September 2024, following federal civil rights charges against several deputies. The case centered on the violent abuse of Michael Jenkins and Eddie Parker, two Black men who were tortured by law enforcement officers during a racially motivated attack.

Six former officers pleaded guilty to a range of federal crimes, including civil rights violations, and were sentenced. The DOJ’s civil investigation into the department was ongoing—until, the ACLU claims, the Trump administration halted the department’s civil rights work.

The ACLU’s new campaign aims to use public records laws to force transparency in jurisdictions where federal investigations may no longer be pursued.

Civil rights advocates warn that pulling back from federal oversight now could undermine years of progress in holding law enforcement accountable.

The ACLU of Mississippi says it will continue pushing for answers in Rankin County and beyond, regardless of federal inaction.

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