Chief’s salutes lift police morale
One important focus that interim Chief Lloyd Franklin had for the Pine Bluff Police Department was to change its morale and overall perception by starting within the Blue Line Family.
For those who demonstrated an effort above the expected, Franklin simply wanted to acknowledge them.
Veteran patrol officers Katisha Johnson and De Aunuana Roberts were recognized as January’s Officers of the Month for their extra efforts.
“Katisha Johnson single-handedly made an arrest that netted us about two pounds of marijuana and assault weapons and did it without incident or injury,” said department Deputy Chief Denise Richardson. “When we had the bank robbery at Simmons the other week, Roberts spotted the suspect and Jefferson County was able to get him.”
Richardson said Roberts also went back to the location and found where the suspect had hidden the money.
“We were able to get him and give the bank’s money back,” said Richardson. “She was really instrumental in that.”
The Jefferson County sheriff’s deputies were also recognized by Franklin and received awards from him, Richardson said. She added Franklin wanted to accommodate all who were involved.
“One of the main things Chief Franklin wanted to do was make sure Pine Bluff law enforcement were being recognized for their good works because it’s so easy to be recognized for the bad,” she said. “The majority is always doing the right thing, and he wanted to focus on that.”
Franklin also presented a “Unit Award” to the department’s Detective Division recognizing its hard work and sacrifice in solving homicides that occurred Jan. 8 and Feb. 2.
“We just didn’t know if we would ever have enough to move forward with it, but they worked so hard and so fast,” said Richardson. She also gave credit to the community, whose leads and tips played a big part in the investigation.
“This community has really
stepped up to help us in the past two murders,” she said. “We would not have solved them without the community.”
Richardson said the detectives worked 48 to 72 hours straight, and with the help of the community they found the people who had the information used it to make arrests.
“It’s a tremendous amount of work and responsibility trying to bring peace back to the people who live here and back to the families involved,” she said. “Within a week they turned around and did the same thing again solving the murder of 15-year old Siar Grisby.”
Jabari Smith, 19, and Malik Shorter, 14, are accused of fatally shooting Grisby on Hoover Street on Feb. 2 and are held in jail without bond on capital murder and aggravated robbery charges.
Roderick Marks, 22; Steven Grady, 20; and Rahn Clay, 18, are each charged with capital murder and five counts of terroristic acts in the Jan. 8 death of Calvin Kirklin, 55, and are also held without bond.
A first for the Pine Bluff Police Department was the presentation of challenge coins to every officer. A challenge coin is a small coin or medallion given to enhance morale. They are also collected by service members and law enforcement personnel.
“He awarded every officer in the department with a chief’s challenge coin and a letter of appreciation for just working for the Pine Bluff Police Department,” Richardson said. The department, she added, trades coins with other law enforcement agencies.
“That had never been done before, and the officers felt really good about that,” she said.
Though recruitment has been tough for the Police Department, Richardson hopes the culture change will at least attract those employees back that they lost. She also is hoping the community continues to support the Police Department.
She sees signs of community support and understanding, reporting a 50% decrease in complaints.
“Our Internal Affairs or Officers of Professional Standards handle all of the FOIA [Freedom of Information Act] requests, incoming complaints, excessive force complaints, bad service complaints, and they were all down,” she said. “That showed me that they are doing better on how we connect with the people that we serve. Our officers are understanding better how to talk to people, how to treat people and how to be effective without doing harm to this community.”
Other efforts made by the Police Department that were noted include:
■ Continued education and training efforts.
■ A partnership with Little Rock’s special teams for street crimes, gun crimes and homicides so that better information can be shared about suspects who move between the two cities committing the same type of crimes.
■ Aggressive patrol to be more visible in problematic neighborhoods.
Changing the narrative one day at a time, Richardson said, she is thankful for Franklin’s leadership and the impact he has made so far.
“Chief Franklin has changed the morale, and we are so grateful for him,” said Richardson. “He didn’t have to do it, but he did.”