Anthony “Tony” Perkins has served as Caledonia’s interim chief marshal since November.
As of his swearing-in Monday, he is “interim” no more.
Mayor Betty Darnell said he was the most qualified candidate for the role, and town aldermen selected him from among six applicants.
“There (were) absolutely no problems (during) the time he was an interim, so once he applied, it was pretty natural to hire him, because of the fact that he handled everything so well,” Darnell said. “… He gets along with everyone. He’s not afraid to ask questions of (me) or the board. He is very open. … He’s a very good officer, but he also knows how to communicate with the board and myself and his other officers.”
Perkins, a Caledonia native, began his 26-year law enforcement career in 1994 as a campus police officer with Mississippi University for Women. After two years there, he joined the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office in 1996 as a patrol deputy.
Perkins said he worked his way through the ranks of LCSO, retiring in 2020 as a lieutenant.
During his tenure with LCSO, Perkins said he particularly enjoyed assisting in Caledonia.
“I grew up here so I know a lot of people (in the town and) I was glad to be able to serve and help the community,” he said.
After a few years of retirement, Perkins started working part-time as the assistant chief marshal last fall until former Chief Marshal Hunter McBride resigned in November.
“I just wasn’t quite ready just to sit at home,” Perkins said. “… So I kept working part-time here, and it just kind of grew into taking the assistant chief position, which led to the interim chief (position), which has led to the chief position.”
Perkins will receive an annual salary of $36,000 while leading the office part-time, Darnell said.
A familiar face
The chief marshal position has dealt with turnover issues in the past, with three chief marshals resigning during the last decade. Darnell said she expects Perkins will remain in the position for the foreseeable future.
“He is somebody that embraces our town, that cares about our community, and I don’t have any reason to believe that he would leave anytime soon,” Darnell said. “If we did, I don’t think we would have gone in that direction.”
Perkins said he has no plans of retiring again any time soon.
“I’m still in very good health, or I wouldn’t have even considered it,” Perkins said. “But I do plan on staying a few years.”
Caledonia has eight part-time deputy marshals that help to cover two eight-hour shifts daily with the office. Because the office’s resources are limited, Darnell said the town receives assistance from LCSO during the other eight uncovered hours if needed.
During his tenure, Perkins hopes to expand the office budget to include full-time deputy marshals to cover all 24 hours in-house and grow strong candidates to eventually replace him when the time comes.
“I just want to serve the community, and I want to try to find somebody that I can train to be my replacement from within the department,” Perkins said. “So when Caledonia grows, the department will grow with them.”
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