Monroe Dispatch - No Struggle, No Progress

It has been a year-long struggle for former interim police chief Reggie Brown, but the effort to win reinstatement within the Monroe Police Department has paid off. Following a recent ruling by the Second Circuit Court of Appeal, Brown is well on his way back to being employed by the city's police department. In a February 2024 ruling, the court asserted that a reviewing court was "out of bounds" when it overruled a decision by the Monroe Municipal Fire and Police Civil Service Board that ruled Brown should be reinstated to the police department. In its ruling, the board imposed a 90-day suspension without pay as punishment for Brown's alleged behavior in a case that garnered national attention stemming from a police brutality case when he served as interim police chief.

The Second Circuit was adamant in its decision, saying that the reviewing court overstepped because it disagreed with the decision handed down by the board. The court went even further when it ruled that the reviewing court "could not simply substitute" its judgment for the board. Brown is now entitled to recover his job and back pay from the city. As of press time, Monroe Mayor Friday Ellis nor Police Chief Victor Zordan have made any public comment regarding the court's ruling. It was under former Mayor Jamie Mayo's administration when a case involving a Black man allegedly beaten by Monroe police officers sparked a conspiracy of a cover-up by then-interim Chief Brown and other officers in order to help Mayo win reelection. When that didn't happen, Brown was under pressure by Ellis and new Police Chief Zordan to provide information about the case to the Louisiana State Police. Brown would later be fired because he allegedly didn't turn over the information in a "timely manner" according to the Ellis administration. Now that Brown appears to have his job back, the question becomes, what will be the city's response? Will Mayor Ellis and Chief Zordan welcome Brown back with open arms? Will the Mayor take further legal action, costing the taxpayers more money? It is somewhat interesting that the roles seem to be reversed. It is now Mayor Ellis and Chief Zordan who some would say are in the eye of a controversy. The mayoral election is rapidly approaching. Ellis may have to decide to run on his record or possibly be mired down in a legal crux that may find him answering questions about an issue that should be settled, instead of his vision of a "One Monroe". We don't understand the rift in Monroe Police Department with Top Cop Reggie Brown. If there's a problem just pay him off like you do others , instead of wasting tax dollars with meaning less legal appeals.