A police chief has resigned after reports stated that he compared black people to monkeys following the arrest of black woman.

Police Chief Marvin Hoover is said to have imitated a monkey when officers told him that the woman they arrested had threatened to sue them for discrimination.

An official report into the incident alleges that Hoover “beat his chest like Tarzan” after decsribing the woman as “an animal”.

The officers in Clatskanie, Oregon, filed a complaint that has resulted in Hoover, 56, resigning from his post.

Officer Dustin Stone said in his complaint, that was seen by U.S. station KOIN 6: “I relayed several of the arrestee’s remarks such as, ‘When you look at me, my black and my nappy hair, all you see is animal.’

“Chief Hoover interrupted me and said, ‘That’s what she is.’”

Hoover then apparently began acting like a monkey, placing his hands under his armpits and scratching them and making monkey noises, according to Officer Stone.

He added: “As Chief Hoover was comparing African-Americans to monkeys, I began to become extremely uncomfortable.

“I have never been in a work environment where a manager, especially an executive officer, is openly racist.”

After being placed on paid leave at the end of August, Hoover has now resigned - and Clatskanie Mayor Diane Pohl paid tribute to him in a public letter.

She wrote: “Thanks Chief Hoover for a job well done.

“You have this community’s gratitude, gratefulness and appreciation.

“Enjoy your retirement knowing we will miss you and wish you all the best.”

Officer Stone has since said that he and his wife have been harassed by residents since filing the report.

He told KOIN: “I’ve already faced a lot of retaliation, my wife’s been forced off the road twice.

“I’ve had people in the community yelling the N-word at me.”

Pic: The Chief/KPTV/Oregon Department of Public Safety