Pine Bluff Interim Police Chief Shirley Warrior and other top department officials met Thursday with the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff football team to hammer home safety ahead of homecoming week, which begins on Oct. 5 and culminates with the football game on Oct. 11.
Game day and night each year are typically some of the busiest times for the Pine Bluff Police Department. Warrior said she just wants everyone to be safe.
The department, alongside area law enforcement agencies such as the Jefferson County sheriff’s office and Arkansas State Police, will be stationed throughout the city to keep the peace. In all, 140 officers will work the day of homecoming.
“Everyone wants to have a good time, but we want y’all to be safe while having a good time,” Warrior said. “Be aware of your surroundings. Be aware of who you hang with. Everybody you hang with are not good people.”
Warrior told the players to be mindful if they drink alcohol as well.
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“Alcohol poisoning is real,” she said. “You can drink too much alcohol and die.”
Warrior told players to also be mindful that if they put a drink down and are not watching it, don’t drink from it again, referring to the possibility that someone could spike it.
“Some people think it’s funny to put something in someone’s drink,” Warrior said. “But nobody wants to bury their kids. The kids should be burying their parents.”
Additionally, Warrior cautioned the young men about “new cologne” going around, referring to scented marijuana strains that can sometimes be dangerous if too much is ingested. It’s also illegal.
“Nobody wants to drive around in the parks and smell that new cologne,” she said. “Just don’t do it.”
Turning to traffic issues, Warrior said that burnouts and fast driving have been issues in the past, noting two fatalities that occurred last year in the city during homecoming.
“I went to that scene, and you have to call the parents,” she said. “Those kids were like ragdolls. Do you think that’s something I wanted to see? Many of these cars, y’all have too much power. Don’t drive them fast. Let’s not get into these kinds of situations.”
Warrior told the players that getting into trouble outside of campus can ruin their college careers.
“We just want y’all to be safe,” she said. “I come to you from the perspective of not just the chief, but also as a mother. We live here, and we want everyone to think that Pine Bluff is a safe place they can come.”
Police Department Assistant Chief Kelven Hadley said that when he looked out at the UAPB football players, he saw his son, who also attended the school, in their faces.
Hadley gave the players this advice: “When you come in contact with police officers, just comply. I know we have some smart, educated people who think they can debate with the officer, but listen, I can tell you this from experience, you will not win that war on the street.”
Hadley advised that if they feel like an officer is doing something wrong, they need to request a supervisor.
“I am not saying all officers will do something wrong, but one of the things is, if you don’t agree with officer, ask for supervisor,” he said.
Hadley continued: “At the end of the day, if they ask you to put your hands behind your back, do it. Then you can file a complaint with Office of Professional Standards. We will look at body cam and what you may have done or what the officer may have done.”
Ultimately, Hadley said, “We care. We want you all just to follow the rules, be safe and have fun.”