Police Lt. Shane Fortner Will Serve as Oxford’s Emergency Management Director

By Alyssa Schnugg

News editor

alyssa.schnugg@hottytoddy.com

Oxford Police Lt. Shane Fortner will continue to protect and serve the citizens of Oxford as the city’s new Emergency Management Director.

The hire was announced at the Oxford Board of Aldermen meeting Tuesday evening.

Fortner, a University of Mississippi graduate, worked at the Oxford Police Department for the last 10 years and has served as the lieutenant over investigations for the last two years.

He was named Police Officer of the Year in 2015 and Supervisor of the Year in 2020. In August, he graduated from the 2022 Leadership Lafayette Class.

He is a Section Sergeant in the Mississippi National Guard where he has served since 2007. In 2015, he received the Army Achievement Medal.

“I believe he is very equipped and his leadership abilities have been demonstrated,” said Mayor Robyn Tannehill.

The Emergency Management Director position opened up last month after the death of then-Director Jimmy Allgood, who died at 60 years old from an apparent heart attack.

“Filling Jimmy Allgood’s shoes is just about impossible,” Tannehill said at the meeting. “(Fortner) has his work cut out for him.”

Emergency management directors prepare plans and procedures for responding to natural disasters or other emergencies. They also help lead the response during and after emergencies.