Goon Squad hearings reveal culture of violence in Mississippi sheriff’s office

Sentencing hearings this week for six law enforcement officers, some of whom were members of the Goon Squad, revealed a disturbing portrait of a Mississippi sheriff’s department that encouraged deputies to use extreme force as a police tool.

Prosecutors, along with some of the deputies who were convicted, described a toxic culture in which senior officers ordered the men under their supervision to humiliate and torture people suspected of crimes.

Young officers said they saw violence as a way to get promoted and meet the expectations of their supervisors, who were considered heroes of the Rankin County Sheriff’s Department.

This week, Christian Dedmon, a former narcotics detective, said in court that there was a culture of misconduct at the sheriff’s office and that he rose through the ranks of the department because of his willingness to “do bad things.” doing’.

Dedmon and five other former Rankin County law enforcement officers were sentenced to prison this week for federal civil rights violations stemming from the torture and sexual assault of two black men, Michael Jenkins and Eddie Parker, in January 2023.

The officers, who pleaded guilty last summer, shocked both men with Tasers and assaulted them with a sex toy. During what was described as a mock execution, one of the officers shot Mr. Jenkins in the mouth, nearly killing him.

Three of the deputies were also convicted for their role in the beating of Alan Schmidt in December 2022, when Mr. Dedmon shocked Mr. Schmidt with a Taser and then pressed his genitals against the man’s face and bare buttocks while he was handcuffed .

U.S. District Court Judge Tom Lee sentenced the last officer Thursday. Brett McAlpin, a senior detective described as the leader of the Goon Squad, was sentenced to more than 27 years in prison. Joshua Hartfield, a narcotics detective with the Richland Police Department, received a 10-year prison sentence.

An investigation by Mississippi Today and The New York Times last year exposed a decades-long reign of terror by nearly two dozen Rankin County deputies, several of whom were high-ranking investigators reporting directly to Rankin County Sheriff Bryan Bailey.

In their pursuit of drug busts, officers stuck a stick down a man’s throat until he vomited, dripped molten metal onto another man’s skin and held down and beat people until they were bloody and bruised, according to dozens who said they had witnessed or experienced something. the raids.

Residents of impoverished communities in Rankin County have complained that emergency services have targeted them for years, routinely raiding homes without warrants and violently beating them down for information about drug use.

Testimony at this week’s hearings shed new light on why the violence was so widespread.

Christopher Perras, a federal prosecutor, said Thursday that Mr. McAlpin had been involved in at least nine incidents over the past five years in which the detective led deputies in “assaulting people with impunity.”

Mr. Perras said that Mr. McAlpin, the former chief investigator, had forced younger officers to “do his dirty work for him.”

“McAlpin is the one who shaped these men into what they have become,” Mr. Perras said. “He modeled that behavior for young, impressionable officers, and it’s no wonder they followed his lead.”

Jeremy Travis Paige, a local resident, told reporters last year that he was one of Mr. McAlpin’s many victims. During a 2018 raid on his home in Pearl, Miss., officers led by Mr. McAlpin waterboarded and beat Mr. Paige until his face was blackened and bloodied. During the encounter, he said, Mr. McAlpin ordered deputies to carry out the attack.

“He was the captain and they were the hitmen,” he said Thursday. “He just sat in the chair and watched them do everything.”

Mr. Paige was one of several people who said they had filed federal lawsuits, filed formal complaints or tried to contact Sheriff Bailey directly to complain about the conduct of Mr. McAlpin and other officers. He was also one of several people who arrived at the jail with apparent injuries, according to booking photos obtained by The Times and Mississippi Today.

Jeffery Reynolds, a lawyer representing Daniel Opdyke, a former patrol officer who was sentenced to nearly 18 years in prison, said his client viewed Mr. McAlpin as a father figure and followed him “right or wrong, without question.” But as complaints about Mr. McAlpin continued to surface, Mr. Reynolds said, Sheriff Bailey continued to promote him.

“Where is the real leadership? Why are they not in this court?” said Mr. Reynolds.

Sheriff Bailey, who did not attend the sentencing hearings, has repeatedly denied knowledge of his deputies’ actions. But police experts said the details revealed during the hearings cast further doubt on his claims.

“There were so many red flags in this case that it seems unbelievable to think that higher-ups had no knowledge of this at all,” said Chuck Wexler, executive director of the Police Executive Research Forum. “Officers were held accountable for these egregious crimes, but this should not have gone on for 20 years.”

In a news release Thursday, Sheriff Bailey said his department is committed to maintaining the safety and security of county residents and that the sheriff’s office cooperated fully with state and federal authorities during their investigation of his former deputies.

“As the duly elected and acting sheriff of Rankin County, I will remain committed to the betterment of this county and this sheriff’s department moving forward,” he said.

Erin Chalk, a prosecutor with the U.S. Department of Justice, revealed that investigators have recorded violent incidents beyond those that led to the federal convictions.

Speaking in court, Ms Chalk referred to an investigative report that listed “numerous other missions” by Mr Dedmon and others. According to the Justice Department investigation, “mission” was a code word used by officers referring to a violent arrest.

Jeffrey Middleton, a former lieutenant, created a sense of brotherhood among deputies by designing challenge coins, souvenirs often shared by military and law enforcement officers to create a sense of camaraderie in exclusive units.

The Goon Squad challenge coin features Mr. Middleton’s name above three cartoonish gangsters. During Mr. Middleton’s hearing on Wednesday, Ms. Chalk said the original design included images of a Confederate flag and a noose.

Local prosecutors are now investigating criminal cases involving members of the Goon Squad and deciding whether to fire them. Rankin County District Attorney Bubba Bramlett declined to share details about the cases under investigation.

Mr. Parker and Mr. Jenkins said they hoped federal authorities would next investigate Sheriff Bailey.

“He’s the head of the snake,” said Mr. Parker. “We’ve got our foot on his tail now.”