Ferguson police chief Tom Jackson has resigned in the wake of the Justice Department’s report on widespread racial bias in the Missouri city’s government, according to a city spokesman.
Jackson’s resignation, which was announced today by city spokesman Jeff Small, makes him the sixth person who has been fired or forced to resign since the report was released March 4 detailing what it described as rampant racial bias in policing in the St. Louis suburb.
The letter announcing Jackson’s resignation described it as “a mutual decision by both the Police Chief and the City’s administration.” Lt. Col. Al Eickhoff will take over as the acting Chief of Police on Thursday as the city launches a national search for a new chief of police, the letter stated.
Jackson will receive severance and health insurance coverage for one year.
Jackson initially came under fire in August for his department’s handling of the shooting death of unarmed teenager Michael Brown.
In November, Jackson told ABC News that he had no plans to resign.
“I do not intend to resign or step down,” he said at the time. “I’m going to see this through.”