Senatobia, MS

SENATOBIA, Miss. (WOWO) — A Mississippi police chief has been fired after an investigation found he allegedly used racial slurs in text messages, including after he became chief of the department. The Senatobia Board of Aldermen voted unanimously Tuesday night to terminate Police Chief Harold “Hal” Vanderford after first rejecting his resignation. An investigation by Mississippi Today and The New York Times found Vanderford allegedly used the N-word and other racial slurs more than a dozen

By  SOPHIE BATES The police chief of a northern Mississippi city where 1-year-old Black child Kohen Wiley was shot and killed by police responding to a shoplifting call was fired Tuesday amid a new controversy. Senatobia Police Chief Harold Vanderford submitted his resignation the same day, but the city’s board of aldermen declined to acknowledge it and instead voted unanimously to fire the...

The police chief of a Mississippi city where one-year-old Kohen Wiley was shot and killed by police responding to a shoplifting call in June was fired Tuesday. Senatobia Police Chief Harold Vanderford submitted his resignation the same day, but the city’s board of aldermen declined to acknowledge it and instead voted unanimously to fire Vanderford, […]

Senatobia’s police chief turned in his resignation less than two weeks after a report found he used racist and other inappropriate language in text messages. City leaders did not accept it, though, and voted to fire him instead. Harold Vanderford, who had been chief since October 2025, submitted his letter of resignation during the day […]

During a Board of Aldermen meeting on Tuesday, Senatobia Police Chief Harold Vanderford was fired with immediate effect. According to Alderman Chris M...

Senatobia Police Chief Harold Vanderford, who became chief of the department last fall, has been exposed as the latest contestant on Bigots With Badges.

Mississippi police chief's racist texts expose deep-rooted bias in department, undermining trust in community

1-year-old Kohen Wiley was shot dead by police officers while sitting in his mother’s lap in a car outside a Walmart in Senatobia, Mississippi, two months ago, and local police have reportedly been virtually radio silent ever since. According to Verite News, the Mississippi Legislative Black Caucus is looking to dislodge their tongue from the […]