Officer’s moniker on facility fitting

It’s been almost 15 months since officer Kevin Collins was killed. It seems like yesterday. In the stages of grief, we can imagine that many haven’t gotten past denial. In all of the descriptions of him, the many adjectives seem to fall short.

He was an eager, energetic, compassionate person who wanted what was best for Pine Bluff and its youths, someone who woke up each day eager to catch the bad guys.

One incident, one bit of investigating crime, changed all of that. But we remember him and, maybe more importantly, we don’t want others to forget him or lose the grasp of the idea that someone special was among us.

It is a fitting thing, then, that the large facility that was once the city’s main library, located in the Civic Center Complex, has been renamed the Detective Kevin D. Collins Center by the Pine Bluff City Council.

It took a bit to work out the details, but now that the proposal has been signed and sealed, the result is something that will hold a place of honor in the annals of Pine Bluff history.

The facility will become a training center for the Pine Bluff Police Department, but the area will also be used for a variety of other possible purposes, including City Council chambers, auditorium space, offices for council members, conference rooms and event space for the community.

We look forward to a ribbon-cutting, which will take place once the renovations are complete. And while the details are still being worked out, we can all take some pleasure in what will be. He was more than just a police officer in this community, and his memory will extend beyond that role as well.

Said Mayor Shirley Washington: “This will be a building that will be renovated to serve this community. It will help us remember the life and legacy of our beloved police officer Kevin D. Collins, who loved his community and gave his life for this community.