Axed Annapolis Police Chief Says He Was Fired For Not Settling Lawsuit: Report

ANNAPOLIS, MD — Edward Jackson, who served as the chief of the Annapolis Police Department for nearly seven years, has said that his dismissal was caused by his refusal to settle a 2024 lawsuit, according to The Capital Gazette.

Jackson said he refused the settlement on Friday and that he also rejected a request by Mayor Jared Littmann to resign from his post that same day, even if it did include a citation thanking him for his service.

"I'm not resigning, I'm not voluntarily resigning," Jackson told Fox 45, recalling the moment he was asked to resign. "Whatever you're going to do, you're going to do. But it's not going to be because I volunteered to resign."

The 2024 suit at the center of Jackson's Monday dismissal is tied to two officers suspended for bringing "discredit" to the agency, the Capital Gazette reported. Both officers were eventually reinstated after an independent review by the Baltimore Police Department, but the case proved a sticking point in Annapolis.

Jackson told WJZ his ouster was connected to the civil lawsuit against the two officers, after a police union alleged the department retaliated against officers for reporting mismanagement. Jackson said he refused to sign a statement in the case.

"I told him that the statement wasn't factual, number one, and I'm not going to sign anything, especially if I'm named as a defendant," Jackson told the CBS station.

Littmann, who was elected mayor in December, said Monday that Jackson was being replaced by Capt. Amy Miguez, only explaining at the time that his removal was due to "differing" management styles.

In an interview with The Banner, Littmann said he removed Jackson because he wants to "start fresh with someone I can work well with and has the same vision for the future, and isn't focused on what's happened in the past."

Miguez will only be serving as acting police chief until the Littmann administration is able to confirm the next head of the Annapolis Police Department.