Missouri Governor Jay Nixon on Wednesday appointed a new state public safety director, giving his administration its only black Cabinet member nearly three weeks after the shooting of Michael Brown led to violent protests in a St. Louis suburb, according to The Associated Press.
The governor said former St. Louis police chief Daniel Isom II will take over as director of the Missouri Department of Public Safety on Sept. 1, replacing Jerry Lee, who resigned after almost three years as director.
The appointment comes after Nixon faced criticism both for the lack of racial diversity among his department leaders and for the state's response to protesters and looters following the Aug. 9 shooting of Michael Brown by Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson, according to the AP.
Nixon did not directly say whether the leadership change was related to the events in Ferguson.
Nixon said Isom "has experience and training in law enforcement that are almost unmatched," and denied forcing Lee to resign, according to the AP.
In the immediate days after Brown's shooting, local police in riot gear fired tear gas and rubber bullets at protesters who refused to disperse.
Nixon eventually placed the State Highway Patrol in charge of securing Ferguson with a more relaxed approach.
Later Wednesday, Missouri Highway Patrol Capt. Ron Johnson announced that the Guard and police from the city of St. Louis had completed their departure from Ferguson. Johnson declined to discuss when state troopers would cede authority in the West Florissant Avenue commercial corridor to local police, though he did say that fewer troopers are on the ground now.
