The Jackson Police Department has agreed to pull back on aggressive roadblocks in response to a lawsuit. The Mississippi Center for Justice and the MacArthur Justice Center announced a settlement Thursday with JPD Chief James Davis addressing the department’s roadblock policy known as “Ticket, Arrest and Tow,” or TAT. The federal class-action lawsuit filed in February accused Jackson officers of violating people’s constitutional right to be free of unreasonable search and seizure. “I thought to myself when going home, ‘What are they doing? Why are they doing this?'” said South Jackson resident Timothy Holcomb. “We’re not criminals. We live in a poor neighborhood, that doesn’t make us criminals.”The lawsuit alleged that JPD used roadblocks in majority-Black and low-income neighborhoods to catch suspects.The settlement requires Jackson police to provide a hand-out with information about towing and how to contact the Hinds County court clerk about their ticket. “(It also requires) a summary report that includes the reason the roadblock was set up, where and what location, and at what time, and the number of citations, arrests and searches made at that roadblock,” said Paloma Wu, deputy director of impact litigation for the Mississippi Center for Justice.For the next four years, the groups involved can monitor whether JPD is complying. “If they are not complying, we can give them the 30 days’ notice to cure, and if not, we can ask the court to get back involved to enforce this agreement,” Wu said.Tap here for more information on the settlement.
The Jackson Police Department has agreed to pull back on aggressive roadblocks in response to a lawsuit.
The Mississippi Center for Justice and the MacArthur Justice Center announced a settlement Thursday with JPD Chief James Davis addressing the department’s roadblock policy known as “Ticket, Arrest and Tow,” or TAT. The federal class-action lawsuit filed in February accused Jackson officers of violating people’s constitutional right to be free of unreasonable search and seizure.
“I thought to myself when going home, ‘What are they doing? Why are they doing this?'” said South Jackson resident Timothy Holcomb. “We’re not criminals. We live in a poor neighborhood, that doesn’t make us criminals.”
The lawsuit alleged that JPD used roadblocks in majority-Black and low-income neighborhoods to catch suspects.
The settlement requires Jackson police to provide a hand-out with information about towing and how to contact the Hinds County court clerk about their ticket.
“(It also requires) a summary report that includes the reason the roadblock was set up, where and what location, and at what time, and the number of citations, arrests and searches made at that roadblock,” said Paloma Wu, deputy director of impact litigation for the Mississippi Center for Justice.
For the next four years, the groups involved can monitor whether JPD is complying.
“If they are not complying, we can give them the 30 days’ notice to cure, and if not, we can ask the court to get back involved to enforce this agreement,” Wu said.
Tap here for more information on the settlement.
