Ferguson Police Chief Thomas Jackson, who was at the center of the controversy surrounding the fatal police shooting in August of unarmed black teen Michael Brown, released a video today in which he apologized to the family of the victim.

“I’m truly sorry for the loss of your son. I’m also sorry that it took so long to remove Michael from the street,” Jackson said of the four hours it took authorities to remove the body of the 18-year-old.

The death of Brown sparked days of sometimes violent protest.

“The time it took involved very important work on the part of investigators to gain a true picture of what happened that day, but it was just too long and I am truly sorry for that,” he said in the video obtained by CNN.

“Please know that the investigating officers meant no disrespect to the Brown family, to the African-American community or the people (in the neighborhood where Brown was shot). They were simply trying to do their jobs,” Jackson said.

Jackson says there were many people who came to the city to protest peacefully. “Unfortunately, there were others who had a different agenda,” he said. “The right of the people to peaceably assemble is what the police are here to protect. ”

Last month, at the height of the protests, Jackson said he would make race relations a top priority at his department.

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