Sanders, leaders meet to focus on Little Rock crime

LITTLE ROCK — Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders on Thursday met with civic and police leaders from Central Arkansas to discuss tactics to reduce violent crime in Little Rock, her office announced.

Pulaski County Sheriff Eric Higgins, reached for comment Friday afternoon, described the event as a cordial introductory meeting that did not result in any plan for future action.

In addition to Higgins, the roundtable discussion included Little Rock Mayor Frank Scott, North Little Rock Mayor Terry Hartwick, Arkansas State Police Col. Mike Hagar and Dushun Scarbrough, executive director of the Martin Luther King Jr. Commission, Sanders spokeswoman Alexa Henning said in a meeting “readout” late Thursday.

“The group discussed ways to end the crime wave plaguing our capital city by supporting our brave men and women of law enforcement and shutting the revolving door in our prisons, while also helping those incarcerated overcome addiction with mental health treatment, faith-based programs, and workforce development,” Henning’s statement said.

It was understood by the participants, Higgins said Friday afternoon, that this was an initial meeting and an expression of support from the governor and Arkansas State Police, with no long-term decisions made.

“I’m sure we will continue to meet and try to work together,” Higgins said.

Scott and Little Rock Police Chief Heath Helton, who also attended, were grateful for the chance to speak with Sanders about “crime prevention, parole reform, reentry programs and continued collaboration among all law enforcement agencies,” Scott’s spokesman Aaron Sadler said in a statement Friday afternoon.

A message left with Hartwick’s spokesperson Friday afternoon was not returned, and a North Little Rock police spokeswoman said that Chief Patrick Thessing was not in the office Friday afternoon.

In a statement Friday evening addressing the meeting, Hagar talked about how violence in Little Rock was not just a problem for police to solve, but one that would involve prosecutors and the courts.

“We must do a better job in preventative measures and ensure success for offenders after adjudication to prevent the continued cycle of repeat offenders,” Hagar said. “Our citizens deserve safety and security for their families. All aspects of the criminal justice system must work together and think outside the box to stop this trend.”

Higgins said he appreciated that Sanders was willing to talk about a holistic approach to crime reduction, discussing both law enforcement through arrests and rehabilitation of convicted criminals whenever possible.

In her statement, Henning said 70% of people incarcerated in Arkansas cannot read at a fourth-grade level, which also points to need for education reform in the state, another of Sanders’ stated goals.

Since Little Rock began implementing its violent crime prevention strategy, Sadler said in his statement, Scott and Helton have been pleased to see results. He said violent crime in the city is down 18% so far compared with last year.

Crime statistics posted on the city’s website showed a 20% reduction in violent crime from the start of the year to Feb. 13 when compared with that same time period in 2022.

The data showed a drop from 10 homicides in that period last year to six so far this year, a 40% drop. Aggravated robbery had also dropped from 411 instances to 325 in that period, a 21% drop.

During all of 2022, Little Rock had 81 homicides, up from 65 a year earlier and surpassing the previous record of 76 killings set in 1993, when gang violence plagued the city.

Sanders hopes that the Thursday meeting will be the first of many conversations she has with the group of leaders about crime reduction, Henning’s statement said.