Texarkana police plan to create post for gun-threat investigations

TEXARKANA — The Texarkana Police Department is putting an officer into an investigative position with the sole assignment of vetting all information on threats of active shooters.

“In our efforts to better serve and protect our citizens, we will be redirecting an officer into an investigative position that will be solely assigned to act as a clearing house for vetting all intelligence in reference to these types of incidents. This will minimize the chance of a threat going without investigation,” Texarkana Police Chief Robert Harrison said in a statement.

“Law enforcement officials must do a better job of gathering, assessing, investigating, and disseminating information that could possibly eliminate the threat of an active shooter,” Harrison said.

Since the Feb. 14 shooting that killed 17 people at a Florida school, threats in Arkansas have led to multiple arrests, including a 14-year-old Little Rock student who said he would turn his campus into “a holocaust,” according to police.

School administrators, teachers, security officers, business leaders, clergy members and other residents need a trained police officer to immediately report suspicious circumstances so the information doesn’t fall into the mix of all other daily reporting, Harrison said.

Upon receiving a complaint or finding a post or comment on social media, the officer will immediately assess the credibility of the threat and the individual responsible for it. Any necessary investigation or follow-up will be the responsibility of the officer.

Creating the new investigative position required one of two frozen positions to be unfrozen with the approval of Texarkana City Manager Kenny Haskin.