Arkansas-side police division names detective Investigator of the Year
Texarkana, Ark., Police Department Detective Tye Whatley was recently named Investigator of the Year by the department’s Criminal Investigation Division.
Kristi Mitchell, a police spokeswoman, said Whatley was nominated by his peers and then selected by an awards committee. In honoring Whatley, Mitchell said the committee cited his work in three major investigations in 2012:
In February, Whatley unraveled a series of numerous residential and vehicle burglaries committed by a newly formed gang.
In August, he investigated and arrested three men suspected of trying to meet and have sexual relations with a 14-year-old girl.
In October, Whatley was assigned to the department’s reactivated gang unit to investigate members of a gang suspected of involvement in a shooting at an apartment complex. The shooting at ChapelRidge Apartments on County Avenue sent a 14-year-old Arkansas High School student to a Little Rock hospital after she was struck in the chest by a stray bullet. Mitchell said during that investigation, other crimes were uncovered and a number of arrests were made.
In addition to his work on major cases, Whatley’s peers recognized him for his devotion to cases that are not as high-profile.
“Detective Whatley was also cited for his overall excellence, hard work and determination in maintaining a clearance rate almost double the national average for property crimes,” Mitchell said.
Whatley has a permanent assignment to the property crimes section of the Criminal Investigation Division.
Whatley was awarded the Investigator of the Year plaque in a presentation attended by his family.