Columbia Police Chief Ken Burton resigned Friday and will leave city employment at the end of the day Thursday, interim City Manager John Glascock said in a news release.

Burton has been on administrative leave since Dec. 20 and will be paid until his resignation is effective, according to the release. He will receive two months' pay as a severance in accordance with the city code, the release stated. That equals about $25,000 from his annual pay of $152,000.

Deputy Chief Jill Schlude will remain as acting police chief until Glascock designates an interim chief of police. In the coming weeks, Glascock will be conducting a process to fill that post. Spokesman Steve Sapp said the city had no additional comments beyond what was included in the news release.

Reaction to Burton’s resignation among members of the Columbia City Council and groups outside city government was generally positive.

A new chief, Fifth Ward Councilman Matt Pitzer wrote in a text message, “will have the chance to give the citizens of Columbia the type of effective police department they deserve, as well as address long-standing department morale concerns. I'd like to commend our hard-working officers during this time of transition, thank them for their service and hope we can deliver the strong leadership that would benefit the entire community.”

Sixth Ward Councilwoman Betsy Peters said she wanted to thank Burton for his service and wished him well. There was a substantial push from constituents who wanted Burton out, she said.

“We all represent our wards and there are a number of people who feel he should retire,” Peters said. “We hire the city manager to make those decisions and it sounds like the chief has decided to retire.”

Columbia Police Officers Association Executive Director Dale Roberts, in a press release titled “Our Long Ordeal is Over,” wrote that members have been aware of problems with the chief for six years now and recent revelations came as no surprise.

Over the past six years, Roberts wrote, recruiting has faltered, turnover was high as experienced officers left the department, and morale was “toxic.”

“Sadly, our concerns were consistently ignored,” Roberts wrote. “We spoke to the previous city manager and we spoke to the city council. Our concerns fell on deaf ears and our documentation was ignored.”

Social justice and police advocates both have voiced disapproval about the chief over the years. Racial and justice equality group Race Matters, Friends has repeatedly called for Burton’s resignation or retirement. It did so most recently after the departure of former City Manager Mike Matthes, which followed an apparently Burton-approved restructuring of the community outreach unit.

In one of the highest-profile incidents that upset officers, Burton joined a protest against the Columbia Police Officers Association for calling for a “Darren Wilson Day,” apparently an attempt to honor the officer who fatally shot Michael Brown, an unarmed black man, in Ferguson on Aug. 9, 2014. In a survey of officers, two anonymous rank-and-file officers stated they saw the chief’s actions as an affront to law enforcement.

Since he has been on administrative leave, news reports have revealed some of the issues about Burton’s personal habits that Glascock is dealing with. The Columbia Missourian reported that his car often didn’t arrive at the police station until almost 10 a.m. or later and that he was often at a local bar soon after 4 p.m. KMIZ reported that the chief followed several Twitter accounts of a sexual nature.

With his resignation, Burton avoids the lengthy process laid out in state law for removing police chiefs. He could have demanded a hearing in front of the Columbia City Council where he could have forced the city to present evidence he had done something to endanger the safety of the public or fellow officers, was incompetent due to mental issues including drug or alcohol use or was insubordinate or violated written city policies.

A search for a permanent chief of police will not begin until after the Columbia City Council has hired a new city manager, the release stated. The council is still working to select a search firm to find a new manager and a closed meeting is set for Thursday to interview consultants.

Council members reached Friday said that no steps had been taken to begin the firing process. Several said they were satisfied with Glascock’s decision to leave the selection of a new permanent chief to the next manager.

“To clean things up and leave the big decisions to the new city manager is the right route to take at this point,” Third Ward Councilman Karl Skala said.

Glascock had the option to hire a new chief himself and made the right decision, said Second Ward Councilman Mike Trapp.

“I can understand Mr. Glascock’s decision that the new city manager will be responsible for the overall direction of the city and giving them a free hand in hiring their staff,” Trapp said.

In the association’s release, Roberts credited Mayor Brian Treece and Glascock for addressing the “problem.” Treece had voiced concerns on a number of occasions over the chief’s approach to an ongoing community policing initiative.

“We suspect it will take time to restore the Columbia Police Department to the position of prominence it once enjoyed,” Roberts said. “We look forward to making that change while working with the interim city manager and the interim chief, as well as the individuals who will fill those positions on a permanent basis.”

Burton has been chief since April 1, 2009, when he was hired from a similar post in Haltom, Texas. Burton spent most of his career in Texas, where he was chief in Bryan, Texas, a community close to Texas A&M University, and deputy chief for Arlington, Texas.

In July, Burton unsuccessfully sought the job as police chief of Denton, Texas, a community of about 131,000 residents just north of the Dallas and Fort Worth metro area.

rkeller@columbiatribune.com

573-815-1709

ppratt@columbiatribune.com

573-815-1718