- Ferguson, Missouri, Police Chief Tom Jackson will resign on March 19, following the release of a scathing report from the US Department of Justice that found a pattern of racial bias in the city’s law enforcement.
- The Justice Department report criticized local police and courts for disproportionately targeting black residents in traffic stops to raise money through fines and court fees for the city budget.
- The report repeatedly named Jackson as one of the people culpable of turning the city’s police force into a fundraising operation. Jackson regularly bragged about breaking court revenue records in emails to city officials, who typically cheered him on.
- Jackson’s resignation is just the latest in a string of outs by city officials. On Monday, the Missouri Supreme Court appointed a state judge to take over Ferguson municipal court cases after Ronald Brockmeyer, the municipal judge, resigned. On Tuesday night, Ferguson city manager John Shaw also quit.
Report: Ferguson Police Chief Tom Jackson is resigning
Ferguson still faces action from the Justice Department
The resignations likely won’t change the next steps for Ferguson’s police and courts, which need to find a way to deal with systemic racial biases.
The resigning officials may have fueled the disparities by demanding more revenue from law enforcement, but the Justice Department found a problem that goes much deeper than one city official.
The Justice Department is still trying to work out an agreement to oversee Ferguson’s police and courts. If the city doesn’t agree to the federal government’s terms, it risks getting hit with a civil rights lawsuit.
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