Former Tupelo Police Chief to head state police academy
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Jan. 6—JACKSON — A Lee County native who has served as the police chief for both Tupelo and Columbus has been named the new director of the Mississippi Law Enforcement Officer Training Academy (MLEOTA).
Mississippi Department of Public Safety Commissioner Sean Tindell announced Friday that he had appointed Anthony "Tony" Carleton to head the academy in Pearl.
"Carleton brings a wealth of experience from many law enforcement roles to his new position that will benefit the state's largest training academy and continue to produce highly trained and educated law enforcement officers," Tindell said.
Carleton has more than 25 years of law enforcement experience. He graduated from Tupelo High School in 1988 and later earned a bachelor's degree in criminal justice form the University of Mississippi.
He was named Tupelo Police Chief in 2010 and took the same position in Columbus in 2013. Two years later, he joined the Oxford Police Department as the training officer and was later promoted to patrol captain. He later joined the Lafayette County Sheriff's Office as their training officer.
"What an honor it is to become the director of MLEOTA," said Carleton, who graduated from the academy with Basic Class #172. "I look forward to the development of the staff as we rise law enforcement recruits of Mississippians for the future."
Governor Tate Reeves congratulated Carleton on the appointment.
"His extensive law enforcement experience will play an incredibly valuable role in helping to guide the future of MLEOTA, a critically important institution that trains our state's heroic law enforcement officers," Reeves said. "I am very thankful to Tony, and all our law enforcement officers who courageously serve and protect Mississippi with excellence every day."
