Senatobia Police Chief Harold Vanderford used racial slurs in private text conversations over several months, according to reports from Mississippi Today, Verite News and The New York Times. The messages, which include derogatory language and references to racist moments, were provided by a person familiar with the texts and confirmed by multiple acquaintances.
The texts reveal Vanderford describing having a “racist moment” and using the N-word more than a dozen times. In one message, he wrote he “almost beat a nigger and white woman’s ass a few minutes ago,” according to reports. Vanderford also referenced racist language in texts about a college sporting event and made self-deprecating comments involving the slur, sometimes expressing hopes that neighbors heard him.
Vanderford, 60, was appointed last fall amid controversy after the city’s previous police chief was ousted over incidents including the arrest of a 10-year-old Black boy. Vanderford, a Greenville native and 29-year law enforcement veteran, had pledged to rebuild community trust. However, his private communications have raised questions about his attitudes toward race.
The controversy coincides with a recent police shooting involving the department. In June, officers responded to a shoplifting call at a Walmart, where they shot at a vehicle carrying a 1-year-old boy, Kohen Wiley. The toddler was struck and later died; he would have turned two this year. Attorneys for the Wiley family are demanding the release of body and dashboard camera footage and have announced plans for an independent autopsy.
Mississippi law enforcement officials said they would withhold footage until the investigation concluded. The Mississippi Legislative Black Caucus has also called for updates from the attorney general. Civil rights lawyer Ben Crump, representing the Wiley family, presented evidence suggesting police fired from the side of the vehicle, indicating the officer may not have been in danger. Internal complaints reveal that Sgt. Hunter Foster, involved in the investigation, had directed racist remarks at colleagues, including two days before the shooting. Foster and other officers have not publicly addressed the allegations.
Vanderford has not publicly commented on the shooting or his texts. The city’s mayor, Greg Graves, did not respond to requests for comment. Critics, including NAACP Mississippi officials, say the use of racial slurs by law enforcement is unacceptable, regardless of context, and undermine efforts to serve and protect diverse communities.
Jon Ross Myers is the executive editor and publisher of the Mississippi News Network, Mississippi's largest digital only media company. He can be reached at editor@tippahnews.com
