3rd-party review of LR police divisive

Some city leaders call for AG role

Little Rock city directors are split on the mayor’s proposal for a third-party investigation into the Little Rock Police Department in the wake of lawsuits filed against the chief and calls for internal inquiries into the department’s handling of several interdepartmental conflicts.

Vice Mayor and Ward 7 City Director B.J. Wyrick said in a Wednesday email to Mayor Frank Scott Jr. and the city Board of Directors that she has no faith in an independent investigation into the department.

The U.S. Department of Justice “did a review last year and found no issues,” Wyrick said in the email. “I suggest we ask the Attorney General for a review if one is needed. I do not have confidence in an independent review. Those seem to be stacked and biased.”

Scott’s call for an “independent review” of the department is the latest development in conflicts that have fractured Chief Keith Humphrey’s relationship with some of the most senior officials at the Little Rock Police Department. Humphrey was hired as chief in April 2019.

Tension ramped up last year when Humphrey fired officer Charles Starks against the recommendations of Starks’ chain-of-command supervisors. Starks, who is white, fatally shot Bradley Blackshire, a black motorist, during a traffic stop.

Starks appealed the firing to the Civil Service Commission and the courts. Assistant Chiefs Hayward

Finks and Alice Fulk, who testified in favor of Starks in those appeals, have sued Humphrey over how they were treated within the department after that testimony.

Earlier this month, three other officers and a civilian employee also filed suit against Humphrey, saying that they were denied access to their personnel files after being disciplined in an internal affairs investigation.

The city’s Human Resources Department is reportedly investigating Humphrey’s treatment of the assistant chiefs and complaints that he intervened in the hiring process in order to get a friend hired in an $80,000 per year department manager job, according to court filings in the lawsuits.

Scott and Humphrey have declined to comment, citing ongoing litigation.

Ward 5 City Director Lance Hines, who was one of two directors to publicly say last week that he has no confidence in Humphrey, said he would be open to a third-party investigation, depending on the price tag and the investigator selected.

“It depends on who’s appointed and what parameters there are,” Hines said.

Hines, like Wyrick, broached the idea of asking Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge to investigate, noting that it could save the city money. A Rutledge spokeswoman declined to comment Wednesday.

“We’re being told we can’t give a refund to our solid waste customers, and I actually had two calls from constituents today that are a little flabbergasted that the mayor would want to spend money on this, but he can’t give a refund,” Hines said.

An investigation by a third party could turn into a “witch hunt,” Hines said, and take focus away from the issues with Humphrey.

Ward 3 City Director Ken Richardson said the third-party investigation is a good idea to examine interactions and practices within and outside the department.

“I think that it’s much bigger than this current chief,” Richardson said. “I think there is a pattern of practice that we need to look at” in the department.

Richardson said using the attorney general’s office for the investigation is not necessary, and he wondered how much the attorney general’s services would cost.

In a Wednesday news release, President Ronnie Morgan with the Little Rock Fraternal Order of Police welcomed the investigation into the department.

“The stakes are too high for our community and for those of us who protect and serve it,” Morgan said in the release. “Facts, not politics, must lead this investigation. So we hope the Mayor will seek a truly independent panel of experts to seek the truth without regard to rank or title.”

To be a legitimate inquiry, Morgan said, the reviewer must be impartial, an expert in the subject matter and free of agendas.

Chris Burks, an attorney representing the two assistant chiefs suing Humphrey, expressed concern Wednesday, saying a third-party investigation could negatively affect the ongoing Human Resources Department investigation.

“That effectively covers up the chief’s harassment because now, instead of a human resources investigation reporting back, this outside entity that hasn’t even been formed yet is going to look at it and, in my opinion, bury the credible allegations from these victims,” Burks said. “We have to believe these victims, and we have to investigate their claims.”

Stephanie Jackson, Scott’s spokeswoman, said any human resources investigations involving the Police Department would not be turned over to the group chosen to conduct the third-party investigation.

Burks said the investigation should be done by Rutledge’s office.