93.9 The Eagle – The News and Talk of Columbia, MO
(AP) — St. Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar is leaving the department, months after his leadership was called into question after a gay officer was awarded $20 million in a discrimination lawsuit. Belmar is 56. He announced his retirement Monday after leading the department, one of Missouri’s largest with 1,362 employees, since January 2014. He will remain on the job through April, when he plans to end his 34-year law enforcement career. Belmar became chief months after the fatal shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown by an officer in Ferguson. Belmar’s department was among those criticized by some for the handling of protests in Ferguson.
