President David Potts presented the Judson College President’s Award to Marion Police Chief Carlton Hogue in a special ceremony held in Ramsay-McCrummen Chapel on November 9. The ceremony and award honored Hogue for the contributions he and the Marion Police Department have made to ensuring the safety of Judson students and employees, resulting in the College’s recent recognition by USA Today as one of America’s safest college campuses.
Using data from the Office of Postsecondary Education and the FBI, College Factual—a website designed to assist high school students with finding colleges and universities that are a good match for them—ranked Judson as the third safest college in America. These findings, which were based on crime reports on campus and in the surrounding town or city, as well as in the surrounding region, were reported in USA Today’s article, “10 of the Safest College Campuses in the U.S.” Judson was the only college in the Southeast to make the article’s top 10 list.
In Monday’s ceremony, Potts stated, “For this college in Marion, Alabama to be recognized as one of the safest places in the country is worthy of note and worthy of some praise of those who make it possible. So today we pause and express gratitude to a dear friend of Judson College. We can call Chief Hogue from Judson any time, day or night, to get help for our students. It is my view that we have seldom had a more competent, capable man in charge of the police force in Marion, and we are grateful for his leadership.”
Hogue responded, “My main, my only objective, is to keep this city safe. And that’s my promise to Judson College—to always be a top priority on my list.”
Hogue, a lifetime resident of Perry County, has served as Marion’s Chief of Police since 2010. Hogue began his career in law enforcement as a deputy with the Perry County Sheriff’s Department in 1991.
Hogue has also served as the pastor of a number of churches over the past thirty-two years. He is now in his twelfth year of service as pastor of the New Great First Baptist Church in Thomasville, Alabama.
Reverend Hogue and his wife, Cynthia, have been married for twenty-nine years. They have one daughter, Carleta, who is a student at the University of South Alabama.