Charlottesville terminates Police Chief Brackney’s contract

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (WVIR) - Charlottesville Police Chief RaShall Brackney’s employment contract has been terminated, according to a release from Charlottesville City Manager Chip Boyles.

“I am looking for a new leadership direction in the department and we will start the search for our next Chief immediately,” Boyles said in the release. “We wish Dr. Brackney all the best in her future endeavors.”

Brackney was hired in June 2018. On September 1, 2021, the city manager exercised his right to terminate Brackney’s employment contract, with 90 days’ notice.

She is on paid administrative leave for 90 days, until November 30, 2021.

Additionally, earlier this week Assistant Chief Major Mooney announced he had intended to retire.

“I am very pleased to announce that James Mooney has agreed to continue in his position as Assistant Chief to assist with this transition,” Boyles said.

Brackney made $140,000 annually, according to her contract shared with NBC29 by the city of Charlottesville. According to that contract, she is still entitled to severance pay equal to her 12-month salary because she was fired “without cause”.

Her termination comes almost two weeks after the results of a survey were released from the Police Benevolent Association, uncovering what may be going on behind the scenes within CPD.

During Brackney’s time as chief of police, she had said she was trying to “change the culture”.

“We’ve taken extremely program-proactive and aggressive steps to introduce cultural competency, cultural professionalism, a bias-based policing curriculum, and we’ve married that with de-escalation and crisis intervention trainings,” she said in June of 2020.

In December 2020, Brackney was a finalist for the chief of police position with the Dallas Police Department.

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