Pine Bluff police Chief Shawn Davis presented a collection of goals to the Pine Bluff Small Business Association on Wednesday, including a plan to bring a police training academy to the city.
Davis, who took office on Jan. 1, said there are more than 20 instructors who are trained and ready to teach recruits in the classroom and on the gun range.
“I think that this would bring more recruits because they wouldn’t have to go to Camden and be away from their families for 14 weeks,” Davis said. “They can go home at the end of the day and be with their families.”
Representatives from the Arkansas Commission on Law Enforcement Standards and Training are traveling to Pine Bluff on Friday to discuss the matter, Davis said.
There are currently law enforcement training centers in Camden, Benton and Springdale.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
CAMERAS
Davis said the Police Department is working with Motorola, which provides the department with radios and body cameras, to install live cameras around the city.
The cameras that have been in use for several years — known as “Flock” — have proved troublesome and unreliable, Davis said.
The new cameras will be utilized to both deter and help solve crimes.
SUBSTATION
A former Fire Department building at 30th Avenue and Ash Street is set to become the new home of the Violent Crime Task Force, which is being reinstated.
Davis said task force members are slated to receive 40 hours of specialized training.
“I just didn’t want to throw the team together and tell them to hit the streets without training,” Davis said. “It is good to have training on basic skills, such as felony arrests. And while arresting people, we want to make sure we are not violating anyone’s rights. Not everyone is a criminal, and we do not treat everyone like they are criminals. We have to maintain a level of professionalism while we are doing our jobs.”
Davis also touched on the department’s recent state accreditation, noting that work is underway to attain national accreditation, which he said will help with grant funding, among other things.
It will also “hold us more accountable,” the chief said. “It’s a little stricter than state, which means we have to be more disciplined.”
TRAFFIC DIVISION
Davis said there are too many cars driving around with expired tags, paper tags, speeding and cutting through parking lots, and it’s time to put a stop to it.
“I think once we get the message out that the Police Department won’t accept that, however minor it may seem, I think a lot of crime can be stopped with traffic stops. Often you can find drugs, guns, people with warrants. It starts with basic policing in patrol.”
Davis said there is currently just one traffic officer, but “we are working on building up the Traffic Division.”
“We want officers to make traffic stops in between calls,” Davis said. “We don’t want them to sit around and wait for calls. To me, that is not policing. We want to be active and visible.”
On that note, Davis said all new patrol vehicles will feature prominent lettering that clearly identifies them as police units.
“I was never a big fan of the ghost writing that’s on the cars now,” he said. “If you are the police, you need to look like the police and be the police. We want to be seen. People like to know the police are in their neighborhood.”
NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH
Davis said the department is in the process of hiring a Neighborhood Watch coordinator, noting that neighborhood watches “are an important part of community policing.”
The Neighborhood Watch will be headquartered at 13th Avenue and Cherry Street, where a sergeant will oversee two officers.
In closing, Davis told small business owners in the city that the best defense against crime is to have good locks and solid doors, clear cameras and alarm systems.
“These things can help us out a lot if something happens,” he said. “We are dispatched and answer every alarm call that comes in.”
John Worthen is the public information specialist with the Pine Bluff Police Department.