Let’s keep this simple. Either you support CMPD and the city of Charlotte releasing Marcus Jackson’s personnel file from his brief stint as a CMPD officer or you support a cover-up of the facts surrounding CMPD’s handling of Jackson’s tenure with the force.
City Manager Curt Walton and City Attorney Mac McCarley support a cover-up. No surprise there. Mayor Anthony Foxx has said the file should be released, but he knows that unless there is strong majority on city council who want the same thing, his position is mere posturing.
As it stands, the citizens of Charlotte do not know what to think. There have been multiple different accounts of how and when Jackson was suspended by CMPD prior to his December arrest on sexual assault charges. The truth is in the file.
There have been claims that Jackson’s suspension(s) was/were reduced by CMPD brass, possibly by Chief Rodney Monroe himself. The truth is in the file.
There have been claims that some at CMPD pressed for Jackson to be fired prior to when the alleged assaults took place, but those efforts were rebuffed, possibly by Chief Rodney Monroe himself. The truth is in the file.
In short, there is absolutely no public purpose served in keeping these truths — these facts, whatever they may be — secret. There is, however, powerful political and bureaucratic incentive to cover-up repeated missed opportunities to stop an alleged serial sex offender from using his city-sanctioned and provided authority to commit his crimes.
Let’s hope it does not take an expensive lawsuit for the city of Charlotte to do the right thing.
