Former Columbus Police Chief Tony Carleton has joined the Oxford Police Department.
OPD Major Jeff McCutchen said Carleton joined the force about a week ago. He said Carleton will work with the department’s training division.
“He’ll be working with incoming and current officers,” McCutchen said. “He’ll help us develop policy and with our national accreditation that we’re working on.”
McCutchen said Carleton has no rank with the department and will work full time. He said he was not sure of Carleton’s salary.
Carleton stepped down as police chief in Columbus on Nov. 12 in the wake the police-involved police shooting death of Ricky Ball on Oct. 16. The shooting — which led to the firing of one police officer and the suspension of two others — is being investigated by the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation.
Carleton had worked for CPD since 2013. He became chief in June 2014 and made $73,500 a year.
McCutchen told The Dispatch this morning that he was not sure if someone in the Oxford department reached out to Carleton or if Carleton initiated contact.
“We were going through a hiring process, and he put in an application,” McCutchen said. “He was selected during the process.”
On Nov. 2, when the city of Columbus announced Carleton’s resignation, Mayor Robert Smith said Carleton was moving to a private sector teaching job in Alabama.
Alex Holloway was formerly a reporter with The Dispatch.
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