Ferguson, Missouri News: Police Chief Denies Being Asked to Resign Despite High Tensions Following Michael Brown Shooting
As part of an effort to reform law enforcement, CNN reports that city officials have proposed Chief Thomas Jackson of Ferguson, Missouri resign from his post.
This comes nearly three months after Darren Wilson, an officer in the police department, shot and killed 18-year-old Michael Brown Jr. on Aug. 9, fueling civil unrest. Brown was a suspect in an armed robbery at a convenience store before he was shot several times in the head and torso.
If Jackson were to resign, local government would ask the St. Louis County police chief to take over management of Ferguson's police force, according to IBTimes reports.
However, Jackson has stated publicly that these reports are false and no such plans have been put in place.
The city's mayor, James Knowles III, told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch via text, "He's stayed strong with us till this point. Don't see that changing."
"People have been saying that for months, I mean for him to step down," Knowles told CNN. "But we've stood by him this entire time. So there is no change on that."
According to MSNBC, Knowles also said federal officials have not requested the Ferguson government to contemplate disassembling law enforcement.
On Tuesday, Jackson denied his rumored departure through Twitter, stating that he "has not resigned. He has not been told to resign. He has not been fired. If he leaves, it will be his choice alone."
"If I do resign, it will be my own choice," Jackson said to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Prior to taking over Ferguson's law enforcement, Jackson served with the St. Louis County Police Department starting in 1979, according to NY Daily News.
In September, the U.S. Department of Justice announced it would investigate the Ferguson police force for possible misconduct or discrimination around St. Louis County.
There is a separate ongoing investigation is for a criminal civil rights probe into Wilson's trial in the wake of Brown's death.
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