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Little Rock Police Department

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Little Rock Police Department
Flag of Little Rock, Arkansas
Flag of Little Rock, Arkansas
Common nameLittle Rock Police Department
AbbreviationLRPD
Agency overview
FormedJanuary 20, 1866 [1]
Employees713 (2019) [2]
Annual budget$80,209,890 (2020)[3]
Jurisdictional structure
Operations jurisdictionLittle Rock, Arkansas, United States
jurisdiction of Little Rock Police Department
Size116.8 square miles (303 km2)
Population204,405 (2023)
Legal jurisdictionLittle Rock, Arkansas
General nature
Operational structure
Overseen by CouncilLittle Rock Board of Directors
Headquarters615 W. Markham St.
Little Rock, AR 72201
Police Officers581 (2019)
Civilians132 (2019)
Agency executive
  • Heath Helton, Chief of Police
Bureaus
Investigative Bureau
Executive Bureau
Field Services Bureau
Facilities
Patrol DivisionsDowntown Division
Northwest Patrol
Southwest Patrol
Special Operations Division
Website
Little Rock Police Department

The Little Rock Police Department (LRPD), is the primary law enforcement agency for Little Rock, Arkansas in the United States.

History

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In 1831 the Town of Little Rock was incorporated and Dr. Matthew Cunningham won the first mayoral election. In 1835 Little Rock was incorporated as the first City in the Arkansas Territory. The Little Rock Police Department was established in 1866 and in 1892 the first paid Little Rock Fire Department was created.[4]

Civil rights era

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The Little Rock Police placed barriers around Little Rock Central High School during the anti-integration riots against the Little Rock Nine.[5] During the integration of the school, the Arkansas National Guard was called in to prevent the Nine from entering the school. Governor Faubus was persuaded by President Eisenhower to remove the guard, and at the time of their removal, the Little Rock Police Department took over the situation and attempted to escort the Nine into the school. Due to the rioting, the police were forced to evacuate the students. Eventually, the 101st Airborne Division was called in by Eisenhower to bring order to the situation.[6]

In 2003, the son of Elizabeth Eckford, who was one of the Nine, was killed by Little Rock Police after pointing an assault rifle at them: she described it as "suicide by police". According to an LRPD officer, he had mental health issues.[7]

Little Rock Police arrested the Freedom Riders when they entered the city in 1957.[8]

In 1978 a group of officers filed suit against the LRPD for racial discrimination. The court ultimately found in favor of LRPD.[9]

Misconduct

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In 1988, Police Chief Jess F. ″Doc″ Hale was arrested after stealing less than $200 from a drug store register. After being suspended, he committed suicide.[10]

In January 2011, Officer Jason Gilbert and two other officers from nearby agencies were indicted for a conspiracy to rob an armored car.[11] The charges included a failed September 10, 2007 attempt to rob an armored car. In March 2012, Gilbert was sentenced to three and a half years in prison.[12]

In February 2011, Officer Rick Harmon was arrested for drunk driving.[13]

In May 2012 two officers, Mark Anthony Jones and Randall Tremayn Robinson, were arrested after helping to facilitate drug deals while on duty.[14][15]

Josh Hastings

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In September 2012, Officer Josh Hastings was charged with manslaughter in the shooting death of fifteen-year-old Bobby Moore. According to the charging documents, Moore was shot in the head as he was backing away from the officer trying to flee in a stolen car.[16] Officer Hastings had been on the force for five years and had been suspended six times previously.[17][18] In April, 2014, after two deadlocked juries, charges were dropped as prosecutors said no jury was willing to convict Hastings. He had been fired from his job, but his lawyer said he would take steps to return to the department.[19] Later investigation revealed that Hastings was hired in spite of internal objections of Hastings having once attended a Ku Klux Klan meeting and lying about it on his application.[17] During his tenure at LRPD, Hastings used force an estimated 63 times and collected over 30 disciplinary citations, for actions such as "sleeping on the job, abusive language, failure to file reports, failure to appear in court, failure to notify authorities of a dead body, conduct unbecoming an officer, insubordination, and untruthfulness", as well as reckless driving.[17]

SWAT operation

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In early 2019, press reports indicated that the department serves all search warrants with a SWAT unit. Most drug-related warrants are "no-knock," meaning the police can use explosives to enter a home without warning.[20]

Rank structure

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Rank Insignia
Chief
Assistant Chief
Captain
Lieutenant
Sergeant
Police Officer

The Little Rock Police Department has various positions for detectives, Field Training Officers, and other mission specific assignments, but these are not considered official ranks by the department.

Organization

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The department is organized into a number of divisions.[21] These are:

  • Executive Bureau
    • Headquarters
    • Training Division
    • Communications Division
  • Investigative Bureau
    • Records and Support Division
    • Major Crimes Division
  • Investigative Bureau
    • Special Investigations Division
  • Field Services Bureau
    • Special Operations Division
    • Patrol Division
      • 12th Street Patrol
      • Northwest Patrol
      • Southwest Patrol

LRPD Fallen Heros

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Rank Name F MI L Date of Death Cause of Death Age
Officer William L. Copeland 12-31-1885 Beaten and killed with a blunt object as he questioned a work release prisoner as to why he was in town and not back in jail past his allotted time N/A N/A
Police Officer W.T. Phillips 08-02-1908 Shot and killed while attempting to arrest a drunk man shortly after midnight 22 N/A
Sergeant William I. Campbell 04-18-1911 Shot and killed by a fellow drunk Officer during an argument 32 N/A
Police Officer John O. Miller 04-23-1911 Shot and killed while attempting to arrest a man for disturbing the peace N/A N/A
Detective Sam D. Morgan 10-30-1915 Shot and killed with another Officer’s gun during a fight with a man that multiple Officers were attempting to arrest 55 On W 12th Street in Little Rock, Arkansas
Police Officer Joe Erber 06-06-1920 Shot and killed after arriving on scene to a domestic disturbance call involving a drunk man 59 At a house boat on the Arkansas River near Lincoln Avenue in North Little Rock, Arkansas
Police Officer Thomas D. Hudson 08-19-1920 Shot and killed after interrupting a burglary in progress 26 Inside a cafe on W 9th Street in Little Rock, Arkansas
Detective Sergeant John W. Cabiness 08-12-1922 Accidentally shot and killed by a U.S. Marshal who mistook Sergeant Cabiness for a railroad striker that was out to get him N/A N/A
Detective Sergeant George W. Moore 07-24-1923 Shot and killed along with Detective Sergeant Luther C. Hay (who later died on 07-26-1923) after the two men walked in on illegal activities including a dice game; one of the suspects was wanted for the earlier murder of Okmulgee County (OK) Deputy Sheriff John Lung on 09-15-1922 N/A N/A
Detective Sergeant Luther C. Hay 07-26-1923 Succumbed to six gunshot wounds sustained on 07-24-1923 after being shot along with Detective Sergeant George W. Moore (who died at the scene) after the two men walked in on illegal activities including a dice game; one of the suspects was wanted for the earlier murder of Okmulgee County (OK) Deputy Sheriff John Lung on 09-15-1922 N/A N/A
Police Officer Charles B. Faulkner 07-13-1924 Succumbed to injuries sustained on 07-11-1924 after being in a crash while on his motorcycle after a vehicle pulled out in front of him; Officer Faulkner was responding to a drunken fight at the time 27 N/A
Police Officer Harvey L. Biggs 07-27-1924 Shot and killed as he and his partner lay in wait for several men that were stealing parts off an abandoned car in a ditch 33 N/A
Police Officer Frank E. Swilling Sr. 12-11-1926 Succumbed to injuries sustained the previous day after being struck by a vehicle while on a traffic stop 33 Intersection of 4th Street and Main Street in Little Rock, Arkansas
Police Officer Robert A. Johnson 03-23-1930 Killed in a crash while on his police motorcycle after being struck by a car 23 Intersection of 3rd Street and Victory Street in Little Rock, Arkansas
Detective Sergeant Samuel Neal McDermott 09-03-1930 Succumbed to gunshot wounds sustained on 08-27-1930 after being shot while attempting to arrest two out of six escaped prisoners from the Pulaski County Jail 31 Behind the Little Rock National Cemetery in Little Rock, Arkansas
Detective Lieutenant Oscar F. Deubler 01-01-1947 Shot and killed by a fellow Officer who then committed suicide 32 N/A
Police Officer Lloyd W. Worthy 09-02-1967 Shot and killed while chasing a man leaving the scene of an abandoned vehicle he stopped to investigate 27 N/A
Police Officer Alvin Joseph Free 09-27-1970 Killed in a crash while in his patrol car after a vehicle pulled out in front of him as he responded to backup at a domestic disturbance call 22 N/A
Detective Noel Don McGuire 05-14-1980 Shot and killed by a 15-year-old while on a traffic stop; unknown to Detective McGuire, the 15 y/o and his 16 y/o partner had just committed an armed robbery in the neighboring county 23 N/A
Patrolman David E. Barnett 02-13-1991 Shot and killed while off-duty as he attempted to stop an armed robbery 33 Inside a Waffle House in Little Rock, Arkansas
Patrolman Henry Lee Callanen 05-15-1993 Shot and killed while off-duty working his second job at a local McDonald’s; as Patrolman Callanen walked the short distance from McDonald’s to the local bank to make a deposit, he was confronted by two robbers that held him up, leading to a shootout 62 N/A
Detective Joseph Tucker Fisher 02-07-1995 Shot and killed as he helped serve a narcotics warrant at an apartment complex; Detective Frederick Lee was also shot in the head but survived 34 In an apartment complex on Butler Road in Little Rock, Arkansas
Police Officer Jack David Cooper 02-02-2002 Succumbed to gunshot wounds sustained the previous day after being shot by a man he responded to due to complaining of vampires 34 N/A
K9 Titus 07-15-2015 Died from heat exhaustion following a fairly long foot pursuit of a suspect wanted for breaking into vehicles N/A N/A
Police Officer Oscar F. Barnett 07-24-2015 Shot and killed in the chest after responding to a suspicious person call N/A N/A

References

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  1. ^ "Little Rock Budget" (PDF). Little Rock Police Department. Retrieved 1 March 2019.
  2. ^ "Little Rock Budget" (PDF). Little Rock Police Department. Retrieved 1 March 2019.
  3. ^ "Little Rock Budget" (PDF). Little Rock Police Department. Retrieved 1 March 2019.
  4. ^ Official Website, accessed 9 September 2014
  5. ^ "What Happened Next: A Federal Court Order". Facing History and Ourselves. Retrieved 2021-12-05.
  6. ^ "Little Rock Nine". HISTORY. Retrieved 2022-09-26.
  7. ^ "Son of a Civil Rights Trailblazer Is Killed". Los Angeles Times. 2003-01-03. Retrieved 2021-12-05.
  8. ^ "The History of the Freedom Riders in Little Rock". Celebrating Civil Rights Heritage in Arkansas. Archived from the original on August 20, 2014. Retrieved 2021-12-05.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  9. ^ "Gilbert v. City of Little Rock, 544 F. Supp. 1231 (E.D. Ark. 1982)". Justia Law. Retrieved 2021-12-05.
  10. ^ Charton, Scott (1988-04-12). "Little Rock Police Chief Apparent Suicide After Theft Charge". Associated Press. Retrieved 2021-12-05.
  11. ^ Little Rock Men Indicted in Armored Car Heist; Conspiracy, by Nichelle Sullivan, KARK, January 4, 2011
  12. ^ Police officer, 3 others sentenced in armored car robbery, Fox16.com, 26 March 2012
  13. ^ Rick Harmon, Little Rock police officer, arrested for DUI, KTHV, 22 February 2011
  14. ^ "Arrested Little Rock Officers Walked out of Federal Court". KATV. 2012-06-04. Retrieved 2021-12-05.
  15. ^ "Two Little Rock Police Department Officers Arrested on Federal Drug Charges". FBI. 2012-05-24. Retrieved 2021-12-05.
  16. ^ Little Rock Police Officer charged with manslaughter, KLRT and the AP, 7 September 2012
  17. ^ a b c Balko, Radley (November 2, 2018). "'If you don't get at that rot, you just get more officers like Josh Hastings'". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 5, 2018.
  18. ^ Seigle, Max (September 5, 2012). "LRPD officer Josh Hastings has 6 suspensions in 5 years". KTHV. Retrieved November 5, 2018.
  19. ^ Lesnick, Gavin (April 7, 2014). "Charges against Hastings dismissed before third trial". Arkansas Online. Retrieved November 5, 2018.
  20. ^ Balko, Radley (1 March 2019). "Internal memo suggests Little Rock police serve every search warrant with a SWAT team". Washington Post. Retrieved 1 March 2019.
  21. ^ "Divisions". Little Rock Police Department. Retrieved 1 March 2019.
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