Mississippi police roadblocks violate rights, lawsuit says
By EMILY WAGSTER PETTUS
Associated Press
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A new class-action lawsuit says police in Mississippi’s capital city are violating people’s constitutional rights by using roadblocks in majority-Black and low-income neighborhoods to try to catch crime suspects. Mississippi Center for Justice filed suit Thursday over the Jackson Police Department’s “Ticket Arrest Tow” initiative. Officers have been using roadblocks to check for driver’s licenses and auto insurance, and they have been arresting people sought in crimes. The lawsuit says the roadblocks violate people’s right to be free of unreasonable search and seizure. Jackson Police Department Chief James Davis has said checkpoints were placed in areas with high crime rates.
