The Associated Press
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0525947779/policeone0aROCKVILLE, Md. - Montgomery County Police Chief Charles Moose resigned Wednesday in the wake of conflict with county leaders over a book he wrote about the investigation of the Washington-area sniper shootings.
Moose’s attorney, Ron Karp, read a statement from Moose that said the chief made the decision to resign and that it is time “to move on and explore other paths in life.”
Moose’s statement said he didn’t want to dwell on the past and prefers to “focus on the future.” Moose said he had worked to make Montgomery County a “safe and secure place to live.”
Moose also thanked County Executive Douglas Duncan for supporting his desire to write the book and appeal the commission’s decision.
Montgomery County police spokeswoman Joyce Utter referred all questions to Duncan’s office.
After the county ethics commission ordered Moose to drop the book project, Moose challenged the decision on two fronts, appealing the decision in county circuit court and filing a federal lawsuit claiming his free speech rights were being violated.
On March 20, the commission said Moose’s request to write a book and to consult on a movie project violated the county’s code of ethics, which forbids employees from exploiting the prestige of public office for personal gain.
In his federal lawsuit, Moose contends that any attempt to prevent him from writing the book, scheduled for release in October, would violate his First Amendment rights.
Moose currently is on active duty with a military police unit of the D.C. National Guard, and his statement said he would remain on guard duty for the foreseeable future.
Two months ago, Duncan named Assistant Chief Bill O’Toole the department’s acting chief. He has been running the department’s routine operations in Moose’s absence.
The book, meanwhile, is scheduled to be released in October, one year after the sniper attacks.
Moose’s New York publisher, E.P. Dutton, has listed the book, “Three Weeks in October,” on Amazon.com. To pre-order the book from Amazon.com, Click Here.