“It’s absolutely not true. Nobody has asked me to resign, nor have I been fired,” Jackson said.
He added: “If I do resign, it will be my own choice.”
CNN’s report cited unnamed “government officials familiar with the discussions ongoing between local, state and federal officials” as saying Jackson is expected to step down.
Mayor James Knowles III confirmed that Jackson has not resigned. “He’s stayed strong with us till this point,” Knowles said by text. “Don’t see that changing.”
Knowles also said no state or federal officials had asked the city to consider disbanding its police force.
Assistant St. Louis County Police Chief Kenneth Cox said Tuesday night that he was unaware of any formal discussions about the county taking over policing duties in Ferguson.
“This is a decision that would be up to the city of Ferguson,” Cox said. “I definitely don’t know what the future holds, but there have been no contracts signed and no formal movement from the Ferguson City Council.”
While Cox said that such changes can “come together quickly,” he noted that “they are typically negotiated between government entities, and we haven’t gotten there yet.”
Earlier in the day, the office of Gov. Jay Nixon was asked if anyone there had been in such discussions about the Ferguson Police Department. A spokesperson said the office had no comment.
