Chattanooga police chief resigns as investigation over residency continues

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) — Chattanooga’s chief of police resigned Wednesday, said Mayor Tim Kelly, who did not give a specific reason for the departure.

Multiple news outlets report that Celeste Murphy is currently under investigation by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. The investigation was launched after the Chattanooga Times Free Press reported conflicting residency claims on her tax forms in Georgia and voter forms in Tennessee.

An Investigation Bureau spokesperson said investigators were looking into misconduct allegations. Murphy has previously said the investigation involves her residency.

“While the circumstances surrounding the situation have been challenging, I respect her desire to preserve the integrity of the Chattanooga Police Department,” Kelly said in a statement.

Murphy’s resignation is effective immediately. She had been in the post since April 2022.

Contact information for Murphy was not immediately available. A Facebook page for Murphy was down as of Wednesday.

The Times Free Press investigation found that Murphy claimed primary residences in both Tennessee and Georgia during her time as police chief. Chattanooga city policy requires public employees to live in Tennessee.

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The newspaper reported that Murphy has claimed a homestead exemption on a house she purchased in Fulton County, Georgia, each year since 2021 — a tax break for those who certify the property is their primary residence. Meanwhile, Murphy is registered to vote in Tennessee, which requires people to certify they’re living at their primary residence in the state.

Murphy previously posted on social media that she could not public reveal where she lives in Chattanooga due to safety reasons.

“We deal with violent criminals regularly,” Murphy wrote in March. “There are extreme dangers in revealing where I lay my head, but rest assured, it is in the city that I serve.”