The University of Alabama Police Department will conduct an internal search for a new police chief after former chief Tim Summerlin’s promotion to an administrative position, The Crimson White has learned.

UAPD has been reorganized as part of the UA Department of Public Safety effective August 1, UA spokeswoman Cathy Andreen confirmed to The Crimson White. As part of the reorganization, former chief of police Tim Summerlin has been promoted to assistant vice president for strategic planning and operations within that department. UAPD will now report to associate vice president for public safety Ronnie Robertson, who replaced Steve Tucker in that post earlier this summer. Tucker, himself a former UA police chief, retired during the summer after a 35-year career with The University. 

The changes come while UAPD is still under investigation after allegations of misconduct made in an anonymous letter to UA administrators in February. According to Andreen, the reorganization and Tucker’s retirement have been in the planning stages for over a year, well before the allegations surfaced. 

“The changes at UAPD are not related to the investigation of the allegations made in the anonymous letter,” Andreen said in an emailed statement. “The investigation into these allegations is ongoing.”