Ferguson Police Chief Thomas Jackson resigned on Wednesday, the latest official in the Missouri city to step down in the wake of a scathing Justice Department report on police abuses, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch newspaper reported on Wednesday.
Protesters have called for his removal since the fatal shooting of an unarmed black teenager last summer, which led to the Justice Department report that found widespread racially biased practices in his department.
The death of Michael Brown, 18, set off a national furore over police use of deathly force that has continued to reverberate. During weeks of protests over Brown's death, Mr. Jackson's department floundered in attempts to calm things down, and state and county law enforcement took over the situation.
Mr. Jackson would follow Ferguson City Manager John Shaw, who resigned on Tuesday, and Municipal Judge Ronald Brockmeyer, who quit on Monday. Last week, three police department employees were fired for offensive emails cited in the Justice Department report.
Attorney General Eric Holder said last week the Justice Department would use its full authority to reform the police department, including possibly dismantling it.
The Justice Department report detailed numerous incidents of routine harassment of African-American residents.
"This emphasis on revenue has compromised the institutional character of Ferguson's police department, contributing to a pattern of unconstitutional policing," the Justice Department report said.
