The decision to dismiss Denise Richardson as Pine Bluff’s police chief did not center around a personnel issue, Mayor Vivian Flowers said Wednesday.
In a phone interview, Flowers reiterated Richardson’s termination was not for cause, a point the mayor made in a letter to Richardson on Monday. The disagreements, Flowers said, centered around human capacity, capital resources and programmatic resources.
“To give you an example, if we look at positions and engage in a robust hiring process to expand our unit, that would lead to human resources,” Flowers said. “When you look to do things differently, it’s not about one person. It’s nothing negative against anyone’s services.”
Richardson’s dismissal was not personal or political, but strictly business, Flowers said.
It also came as the city confirmed the retirement of Fire Chief Shauwn Howell. Flowers said Wednesday assistant chief Ernest Jones will act as fire chief until she appoints one in the interim, who will serve through the search process for a permanent hire.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Richardson, who had spent three decades on the police force and was Pine Bluff’s police chief since 2022, had seen a decrease in homicides in the city each full calendar year she’s been in charge, from 28 in 2023 to 18 in 2024. So far in 2025, one homicide has been confirmed while another shooting death is being investigated as a homicide, but none has been reported since Jan. 21.
Flowers said she would like the next police chief to help address her areas of focus around safety, public development and infrastructure. Flowers said while she and Richardson had different philosophies, they did not disagree on those particular points.
Attempts to reach Richardson and Howell were unsuccessful. Deputy Chief Shirley Warrior is acting police chief until Flowers identifies an interim leader, who also will serve until a search for a permanent hire is complete.
Ward 3 Council Member Lanette Frazier reacted to Richardson’s departure in a statement, The Pine Bluff Commercial reported Monday. Frazier criticized Flowers for a reported lack of transparency “from Day 1,” as well as a perceived lack of inclusion in decision-making.
Flowers said she committed to Richardson and Howell in her conversations to run a public statement by them before it was released publicly. The mayor added she reached out to all City Council members, one by one, after talking with the departing chiefs for about 15 to 20 minutes, clarifying she sat down with Ward 1 Council Member Lloyd A. Holcomb Jr. for a chat and met briefly with three others, who she declined to name. Flowers had also reached two of the other four council members and was planning to reach out Wednesday evening to the two she did not make contact with.
Flowers pledged that anything she tells one councilperson, if it’s within the rules of the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act, she would tell each one.
“We and the City Council work well together, including Councilwoman Frazier,” Flowers said. “We work well on votes, our process and our duty to the citizens. We get it done.”
The mayor cited in her news release of Richardson’s departure Section 14-42-110 of the Arkansas Code, which grants the mayor the authority to appoint and remove all department heads unless the City Council overrides the action by a two-thirds majority.
“After three months in office, I’m taking a deep dive into each department and we are organizing reports that will reveal what is happening in each of our departments,” Flowers said Wednesday.”
The Commercial had received a copy of Richardson’s dismissal letter Monday evening from a source with knowledge of the matter, less than 24 hours before Flowers’ office issued her news release. Flowers said the dismissal letter was posted on a bulletin board at police headquarters.
Misinformation related to Howell’s retirement had been spread in the city “to his detriment” once word of his departure got out, Flowers commented. She said the city plans to celebrate Howell’s 26-plus years of service at a later date.
The decision for one to retire is deliberate, Flowers said, adding transitional considerations have to be made.
Howell helped the city obtain a $1.6 million fire tower vehicle and an $805,000 fire engine last year. The fire engine, housed at the No. 2 station on West Pullen Avenue, is paid off, while the fire tower, stationed at No. 1 at the Civic Center, is financed for five years.
Flowers also clarified that Trudy Redus submitted her retirement as director of Pine Bluff Parks and Recreation on March 3, but has been on leave under the Family Medical Leave Act to care for a loved one. Once Redus returns, Flowers said, she will be celebrated for her service.
An increased level of transparency will come from the recent transactions, Flowers commented. She acknowledged she and other city leaders “in total” can do a better job communicating with community members so no one is misunderstood.
As part of a new policy, Flowers said, the human resources office will send a memo to councilmembers within 24 hours of a change in departmental leadership.
“That will set a standard for how they expect to be communicated,” she said. “It would be unprofessional that they and the person being affected would hear it from others rather than the proper channels.”