An insider has been tapped to serve as interim police chief in Montgomery County.
Marcus Jones, 55, most recently held the rank of Assistant Chief of Police. Before that he served as captain and handled a number of high-profile cases.
Jones, who is African American, takes the post at a time when the department is conducting its own internal investigation into the use of the N-word by a white officer. That interaction was caught on tape and went viral.
In the video, one of the people stopped by the officer is overheard using the word, which the officer repeated. She told the man at one point, “That’s a quote. Those were your words.”
The incident led to protests, and the department issued a statement calling the episode “disturbing and contrary to our department’s values.”
Jones is the second Interim Chief to serve after former Police Chief Tom Manger retired in April. Manger served in the top spot in the Montgomery County Police Department for 15 years. Assistant Chief Russ Hamill was originally named as interim chief but left to go to Laurel, Maryland, to serve as its chief of police.
Jones has applied to serve as chief on a permanent basis.
A national search is continuing, and Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich said he wants to consider public input before making his selection.
