Police Chief Thomas Jackson
[From article]
Jackson oversaw the Ferguson force for nearly five years before the shooting that stirred months of unrest across the St. Louis region and drew global attention to the predominantly black city of 21,000.
He becomes the sixth employee to resign or be fired after the U.S. Department of Justice last week issued a report that cleared Officer Darren Wilson of civil rights charges in the shooting but found a profit-driven court system and widespread racial bias in the city police department.
His handling of the situation drew wide criticism from the outset, both for the aggressive police response to protesters and for his agency’s erratic and infrequent releases of key information. Attorney General Chris Koster and U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill were among those working behind the scenes to get him to resign, but Jackson stood firm.
[. . .]
The report found black drivers in Ferguson were more than twice as likely as others to be searched during routine traffic stops and more likely to face excessive force from police, often during unwarranted stops.
Investigators also noted that Ferguson was counting on revenues from fines and fees to generate nearly a quarter of its total $13.3 million budget for the 2015 fiscal year. Many residents ended up in jail after missing court dates or failing to pay fines for minor violations. The report also uncovered evidence that three employees — a court clerk and two police officers — had sent racist emails.
The clerk was fired last week and two officers resigned. The judge who oversaw the court system also resigned.
http://nypost.com/2015/03/11/embattled-ferguson-police-chief-to-resign/
Embattled Ferguson police chief resigns
By Fox News
New York Post
March 11, 2015 | 4:23pm
No comments:
Post a Comment