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]
Employees743 [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
Overviewed by CouncilLittle Rock Board of Directors
Headquarters615 W. Markham St.
Little Rock, AR 72201
Police Officers565 (2017)
Civilians114
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
Official Site

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

History

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

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

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

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

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

Rank Insignia
Chief
Assistant Chief
Major
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

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

Fallen officers

Rank Name Date of Death Cause of Death Age Location
OfficerWilliam L. Copeland12-31-1885Beaten 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 timeN/AN/A
Police OfficerW.T. Phillips08-02-1908Shot and killed while attempting to arrest a drunk man shortly after midnight22N/A
SergeantWilliam I. Campbell04-18-1911Shot and killed by a fellow drunk Officer during an argument32N/A
Police OfficerJohn O. Miller04-23-1911Shot and killed while attempting to arrest a man for disturbing the peaceN/AN/A
DetectiveSam D. Morgan10-30-1915Shot and killed with another Officer’s gun during a fight with a man that multiple Officers were attempting to arrest55On W 12th Street in Little Rock, Arkansas
Police OfficerJoe Erber06-06-1920Shot and killed after arriving on scene to a domestic disturbance call involving a drunk man59At a house boat on the Arkansas River near Lincoln Avenue in North Little Rock, Arkansas
Police OfficerThomas D. Hudson08-19-1920Shot and killed after interrupting a burglary in progress26Inside a cafe on W 9th Street in Little Rock, Arkansas
Detective SergeantJohn W. Cabiness08-12-1922Accidentally shot and killed by a U.S. Marshal who mistook Sergeant Cabiness for a railroad striker that was out to get himN/AN/A
Detective SergeantGeorge W. Moore07-24-1923Shot 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 09-15-1922N/AN/A
Detective SergeantLuther C. Hay07-26-1923Succumbed 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 09-15-1922N/AN/A
Police OfficerCharles B. Faulkner07-13-1924Succumbed 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 time27N/A
Police OfficerHarvey L. Biggs07-27-1924Shot and killed as he and his partner lay in wait for several men that were stealing parts off an abandoned car in a ditch33N/A
Police OfficerFrank E. Swilling Sr.12-11-1926Succumbed to injuries sustained the previous day after being struck by a vehicle while on a traffic stop33Intersection of 4th Street and Main Street in Little Rock, Arkansas
Police OfficerRobert A. Johnson03-23-1930Killed in a crash while on his police motorcycle after being struck by a car23Intersection of 3rd Street and Victory Street in Little Rock, Arkansas
Detective SergeantSamuel Neal McDermott09-03-1930Succumbed 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 Jail31Behind the Little Rock National Cemetery in Little Rock, Arkansas
Detective LieutenantOscar F. Deubler01-01-1947Shot and killed by a fellow Officer who then committed suicide32N/A
Police OfficerLloyd W. Worthy09-02-1967Shot and killed while chasing a man leaving the scene of an abandoned vehicle he stopped to investigate27N/A
Police OfficerAlvin Joseph Free09-27-1970Killed 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 call22N/A
DetectiveNoel Don McGuire05-14-1980Shot 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 county23N/A
PatrolmanDavid E. Barnett02-13-1991Shot and killed while off-duty as he attempted to stop an armed robbery33Inside a Waffle House in Little Rock, Arkansas
PatrolmanHenry Lee Callanen05-15-1993Shot 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 shootout62N/A
DetectiveJoseph Tucker Fisher02-07-1995Shot and killed as he helped serve a narcotics warrant at an apartment complex; Detective Frederick Lee was also shot in the head but survived34In an apartment complex on Butler Road in Little Rock, Arkansas
Police OfficerJack David Cooper02-02-2002Succumbed to gunshot wounds sustained the previous day after being shot by a man he responded to due to complaining of vampires34N/A
K9Titus07-15-2015Died from heat exhaustion following a fairly long foot pursuit of a suspect wanted for breaking into vehiclesN/AN/A

References

  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. Retrieved 2021-12-05.
  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. 1 2 3 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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