HATTIESBURG, MS– Hattiesburg will finally have a new police chief come Monday. Chief Frazier Bolton stepped down in February, starting a search for a candidate that would not be filled quickly.
Crystal Springs Police Chief Anthony Parker will swear his service to Hattiesburg Monday during a ceremony at the Jackie Dole Sherrill Community Center. Parker has over three decades of experience, including 28 years with the Mississippi Highway Patrol.
Despite his qualifications, Parker was not the first candidate for the position nominated by Hattiesburg Mayor Johnny Dupree. The city council turned down three other candidates, including Ronald Sampson, a former Jackson Police Department Deputy Chief who had been downgraded from his positions in office twice between 2008 and 2009. The first demotion came after Sampson was accused of making racist comments, and the next came after numbers from a fuel card program he ran didn’t add up.
Before Sampson, two other candidates, Mitchell Dent and Jimmie Gardner were passed up for the position. Dent did not even get a vote from the city council.
The drawn out process of finding a new police chief is just one of the issues that have come up in the Mayor’s office this year, along with Johnny Dupree being found in contempt of court in June.
