Ferguson police chief to resign later Wednesday

(Reuters) – The police chief of Ferguson, Missouri, will resign later on Wednesday, Fox News reported, citing police sources.

CNN, meanwhile, reported Ferguson Police Chief Thomas Jackson has indicated he is willing to step down but first wants to ensure that the police department stays in place and is not dissolved. CNN, which cited a source from city hall, did not have a time frame for the resignation.

Fox said Chief Tom Jackson was not pushed out or fired. Protesters have called for his removal since the shooting of an unarmed black teenager last summer, which led to a Justice Department probe that found his department followed racially biased practices.

Attorney General Eric Holder said last week the Justice Department would use its full authority to reform the police department, including possibly dismantling it.

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 released on March 3.