Jeff Roorda no longer with St. Louis Police Officers Association

ST. LOUIS, Mo. (KMOV) - Jeff Roorda and the St. Louis Police Officers Association (SLPOA) have parted ways, Roorda said in a statement Monday.

Roorda had served as the business manager for SLPOA. He gained notoriety and generated controversy in the aftermath of the shooting of Michael Brown by then Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson in 2014.

Roorda also previously served as a state representative from Jefferson County as a Democrat. He tried to run for state senate this year as a Republican but lost in the August primary.

Below is Roorda’s statement:

Today, my thoughts are with the men and women of the St. Louis Police Department. I have fought hard for them for eleven-and-a-half years and I am greatly concerned about what the future holds for them as I exit my position with the St. Louis Police Officers Association.

The Police Association is deeply divided right now. Apprehension about the leadership of the current president led this month to contentious elections for several positions on the organization’s board. The Association is truly at a crossroads right now.

The current president seems to believe that parting ways with me will curry favor in the form of police raises with an anti-police Mayor who has demanded my ouster in retaliation for my tireless advocacy for our officers. What comes of this gesture of appeasement remains to be seen.

As for me, I have no regrets. I’m proud that I stood-up for cops at a time when a false and divisive narrative threatened the future of the profession and the safety of our region. For that, I offer no apologies.