Tupelo Police Department holds pinning ceremony for two deputy chiefs

TUPELO, Miss. (WCBI) – Two longtime police officers are second in command at the Tupelo Police Department.

“I have achieved a goal I never thought was possible in my career,” said Deputy Chief Jackie Clayton, who started working at the Tupelo Police Department in 1979.

Clayton was almost on his way out of the door to retirement when he got the call to become second in command at TPD.

“I got a lot of guys here who have actually mentored me, and I thank you for that,” said
Deputy Chief Anthony Hill, who has been with the department since 1994.

Clayton and Hill have worked together for years, making Friday’s pinning ceremony with friends and family all the more special.

This is not the first time the TPD has had more than one deputy chief.

“I had Major Clayton and Major Hill in those positions and for me to choose between them, wasn’t really hard, it seemed like the right thing to do,” said Chief Bart Aguirre.

“Their leadership will be a positive as we transition into a new decade with Tupelo Police Department,” said Mayor Jason Shelton.

Deputy Chief Clayton will oversee patrol, narcotics and detectives, while Deputy Chief Hill is in charge of special operations,  the police academy, school resource officers and the Police Athletic League.

Both have specific goals going forward.

“I’d like to see us get back to more of a servant leader approach, we come in contact with a lot of people and most people we come in contact are not contacted by police often, may not know exactly how to react, we deal with a small group daily, but a large population occasionally,” said Deputy Chief Clayton.

“Officer safety, promoting officer safety, second, better serving and protecting the community and encouraging all officers to be mentors with our youth, with the ultimate goal of suppressing crime in our community,” said Deputy Chief Hill.

Other officers could be promoted because Clayton and Hill have new titles. This will fit with one of the duo’s next goals — emphasizing officer retention and recruitment.

Longtime Deputy Chief Allan Gilbert recently accepted a police job chief in Arkansas.