Ferguson Police Chief Resigns

Police Chief Thomas Jackson has resigned from the Ferguson (Mo.) Police Department effective March 19, the Post-Dispatch has learned.

Sources say Lt. Col. Al Eickhoff will be appointed as the department's interim chief until a national search for a permanent chief can be conducted.

Jackson, 57, is the sixth city employee to leave in the wake of a scathing federal Department of Justice report that alleged racist police and court practices that aim only to raise the city's revenue instead of protecting its citizens.

In an exclusive interview, Jackson said he felt it was time for the city to move on.

"I believe this is the appropriate thing to do at this time," Jackson said. "This city needs to move forward without any distractions."