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The Rockford Register Star is reporting:

Robert Moore wants to bring his 35-year law enforcement career full circle by ending it where it began. If his wish is granted, he would be the first African-American police chief in the department’s history. A highlight in Moore’s long career came during a brief retirement when then-President Clinton appointed him on Nov. 11, 1994, as a U.S. marshal for the 46-county central district of Illinois, a four-year post that Moore served for two consecutive terms. A lowlight of Moore’s otherwise distinguished career would be his resignation last summer from his most recent post as police chief of the 500-officer Jackson, Miss., Police Department, the state’s largest police force.

Newly elected Jackson Mayor Frank Melton made it no secret last spring that he would replace Moore if elected. Melton was, and Moore resigned.

Jackson Deputy Police Chief Lindsey Horton said Moore’s resignation came about because of a change in administration, not because of job performance.

Previous Comments

I wish him well. I hope he is appreciated more in Rockford than he was here.

#120977 | Author: LatashaWillis | Date: Feb 13 2006

True, L.W. He was the victim of some really ugly politics here. Bad timing. I felt bad for him, but police command folks say this is the way it works. It is a very political position and your future often has little to do with how well you did your job. I remember going to his office to interview him for the first big crime story I did. That was the day we talked about why I thought he should start releasing the Comstat numbers despite the idiot media’s desire to twist everything against him. He soon did. I’m not saying it’s cuz I suggested it, but he really listened when we talked. Also, I’ll always remember his print of Rockwell’s famous Ruby Bridges painting. I believe Chief Moore has substance. I hope he gets to go back home, so to speak. I know how lovely and fulfilling it can for your life to take you full circle.

#120978 | Author: DonnaLadd | Date: Feb 14 2006

Art break, for those who haven’t seen that painting.

#120979 | Author: DonnaLadd | Date: Feb 14 2006

Robert Moore was a good Police Chief. Jackson lost out big time when he left.

#120980 | Author: JSU | Date: Feb 14 2006

I think many people are starting to realize that, JSU. Now we have a chief whose sole purpose seems to be to keep the mayor out of trouble, and who refuses to release *any* information to the public.

#120981 | Author: DonnaLadd | Date: Feb 14 2006

Thanks for the link to the painting, Donna. Now I don’t have to search for it. That painting is one of my favorites. The magnitude of it is gut-wrenching. Think about it: the feds, the N-word and rotten tomatoes surrounding a BABY. That’s all she was back then – just a baby. And people wanted to kill her over a few genetic variations and resentment about a war they weren’t even alive to witness. Sick. Moore can be compared to Bridges in some ways. He went into the trenches with good intentions and did his job, yet so many couldn’t see the forest for the trees, and they condemned his efforts.

#120982 | Author: LatashaWillis | Date: Feb 14 2006

Yes, and such a courageous little girl. It just shows that social change comes in small packages. Moore can be compared to Bridges in some ways. He went into the trenches with good intentions and did his job, yet so many couldn’t see the forest for the trees, and they condemned his efforts. Agreed. But, like Bridges, Moore’s legacy will probably be just fine. It seems to be improving already, even among some of his most strident critics, who are starting to see through the Fog of Sound Bites. It’s kinda amazing the people who are outright apologizing to fellow citizens for both their support of Mr. Melton and their disparagement of Mr. Johnson and Chief Moore. It’s hard to go somewhere right now and not hear people having that conversation. And that’s even in North Jackson. I do believe we will come out better on the other side, but it’s going to be a haul, yet, to get through our current problems and get to the other shore. But, to use C.A.’s word, there’s a real need for unity on behalf of the city and our residents right now. We have to understand that the citizenry defines the city; not a mayor with little respect for the law or being accountable and honest to the people who elected him.

#120983 | Author: DonnaLadd | Date: Feb 14 2006

MFP Solutions Lab logo

The Mississippi Free Press produced this story through the MFP Solutions Lab, supported by the Solutions Journalism Network. This series digs into Mississippi’s systemic issues and sheds light on responses to them in other communities. Beyond just reporting on problems, these stories interrogate their causes and inspect potential solutions.

Founding Editor Donna Ladd is a writer, journalist and editor from Philadelphia, Miss., a graduate of Mississippi State University and later the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism, where she was an alumni award recipient in 2021. She writes about racism/whiteness, poverty, gender, violence, journalism and the criminal justice system. She contributes long-form features and essays to The Guardian when she has time, and was the co-founder and editor-in-chief of the Jackson Free Press. She co-founded the statewide nonprofit Mississippi Free Press with Kimberly Griffin in March 2020, and the Mississippi Business Journal named her one of the state's top CEOs in 2024. Read more at donnaladd.com, follow her on Twitter and Instagram at @donnerkay and email her at donna@mississippifreepress.org.