Ferguson to Hire New Interim Police Chief
FERGUSON, Mo., July 22 (UPI) — City leaders are expected to announce Wednesday an Army veteran with a boxing background as the new interim police chief to lead the beleaguered department after months of unrest in the shooting of an unarmed black teen.
Andre Anderson, 50, has spent 24 years with the Glendale, Ariz., police department, most recently as commander. It’s unclear how long Anderson will be in the post.
Anderson grew up in Philadelphia and was a “formidable amateur” while boxing in the Army, the Arizona Republic reported in 1999. He later moved to Arizona, where he won two professional fights. His boxing career came to an abrupt end after being hit by a car while fixing a flat tire. He worked as a prison guard in Arizona before joining the Glendale police. He holds a master’s degree in education and leadership from Northern Arizona University.
Officials are expected to announce the new interim chief about 9 a.m. local time. He will replace Alan Eickhoff who served as the interim chief after embattled chief Tom Jackson resigned in March. The resignation following the shooting death of Michael Brown by Darren Wilson, a former Ferguson police officer, in August 2014. Jackson’s salary was $95,000 a year.
Glendale is the same city where Ferguson leaders chose its interim city manager, Ed Beasley.
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