Meanwhile, three Ferguson employees implicated in racist emails exposed by that report are now gone from their jobs, the mayor said. One was identified as a city court clerk.
A second report released simultaneously found patterns of racial profiling, bigotry and profit-driven law enforcement and court practices in the St. Louis suburb.
Attorney General Eric Holder told reporters Friday that the federal government will "use all the power that we have to change the situation” in Ferguson, including possibly dismantling the police force.
Asked about Jackson in an interview, Mayor James Knowles III said only, "He’s still the chief.”
Knowles said city leaders are evaluating the Justice Department report "line by line” before deciding on reforms. His focus now is on understanding the report, then moving to whatever changes are needed.
"We have to evaluate everything in the report, pick out what are the systemic issues and what are the things we can fix,” Knowles said.
Jackson did not respond to interview requests Friday but has repeatedly said he would not step down. Ferguson city leaders will meet with Justice Department officials in about two weeks and provide a plan for improving the police force and the municipal court system, Knowles said.
"We’ve got to come up with solutions now,” Knowles said.
Some experts believe the first step toward a solution is change at the top.
Larry Cunningham, professor and associate dean at St. John’s University School of Law in Queens, New York, said the removal of the chief is key to healing the racial wounds in the suburb.
"He should absolutely not stay in office and should step down,” said Cunningham, a former prosecutor in Virginia and the Bronx. "The report details a widespread pattern and practice of abuse and discrimination and dysfunction. Because it is widespread and systemic throughout the entire police department, the buck stops at the top – the person in charge – and that’s the chief.”
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