Chattanooga Police Chief Celeste Murphy resigned her post Wednesday, according to Mayor Tim Kelly.
Murphy has been under investigation by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation since at least May, after the Chattanooga Times Free Press reported that she had made conflicting residency claims on tax forms in Georgia and voter forms in Tennessee.
Executive Chief Harry Sommers, who oversees investigations, will lead the department on an interim basis, Kelly said.
Murphy worked for Atlanta police for 26 years before taking the top post in Chattanooga in April 2022, after being appointed by Kelly.
The TBI said it was looking into allegations of official misconduct. On Wednesday, a spokesperson said that case is still ongoing. Murphy said the investigation centered on her residency.
Public records show that since taking the job, Murphy has claimed primary residences in both Tennessee and Georgia. That would go against Chattanooga’s code, which requires employees to live in Tennessee.
She was not placed on leave during the TBI investigation, despite a request from union leaders at the department for consistency with how officers are treated in similar circumstances. She recused herself from disciplinary review hearings during that time, department spokesperson Sgt. Victor Miller said previously.
“Mayor Kelly believes that if the city is paying an employee, then the employee should be at work unless the situation does not allow it,” Kelly spokesperson Eric Holl said previously in an email.
Murphy was also the subject of an internal affairs investigation, which she said she requested. The internal probe was put on hold amid the TBI investigation. Local attorney John Harrison was initially asked to handle the internal investigation to avoid a conflict inside the department, but he has since been taken off the investigation, he said by phone Wednesday.
Residency issues
Murphy bought a home in Fulton County, Georgia, in 2020, tax records show. She has claimed a homestead exemption on it, which is a tax break for people who certify that the property is their primary residence, from 2021 until present, records show.
After moving to Chattanooga, Murphy registered to vote in Tennessee, voter records show. That also requires people to certify they are registering at their primary residence.
She first listed her mailing address on the voter form as a house on Chattanooga’s Southside, listing a different home in St. Elmo as her residence. The St. Elmo home belongs to the family of a Chattanooga police sergeant, who told the Times Free Press that Murphy never lived there. Neighbors at the Southside home said they’d never seen her around.
About two weeks after the Times Free Press reported her conflicting residency, records show Murphy updated her voter registration, changing her residence to another Southside apartment.
Murphy has said she can’t reveal where she lives out of fear for her safety.
“We deal with violent criminals regularly,” Murphy said in a social media post in March. “There are extreme dangers in revealing where I lay my head, but rest assured, it is in the city that I serve.”
Credit: Chattanooga Times Free Press
Credit: Chattanooga Times Free Press
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