Police chief meets with public
Bella Vista police chief James Graves came out to talk with the general public during a Coffee With a Cop session at Village Baptist Church. He talked about recent developments in the department, including a recent increase in the size of the patrol unit and what might result from that.
While Bella Vista is a statistically low-crime town, he said, there is still some crime and, with increased enforcement, the statistics may change.
“Crime’s still very low in Bella Vista,” he said. “Sometimes, when you do more work in law enforcement, all of a sudden it looks like you have more crime,” he said.
Currently, he said, the more common crimes in Bella Vista are breaking and enterings — typically involving vehicles — and other property crimes, as well as drug crime. Phone scams are also extremely common, he said.
Violent crime, by contrast, is not common in Bella Vista, he said.
Graves also discussed several police department programs and programs the department participates in, including Operation Good Morning, Project Lifesaver, Smart911, drug takeback, the citizens police academy, shop with a cop, BCAlert and neighborhood watch programs, which he said the department is currently revamping.
Graves also took questions about scam phone calls, concealed-carry licenses, what drugs smell like, whether an out-oftown phone can get the local police station over 911, human trafficking through Bella Vista, sex offender registration, speed limits, whether all crime makes it to the Weekly Vista, and whether officers have ticket quotas — which, he assured the audience, they do not.
He stressed that should anything seem off — an unusual individual in a neighborhood, a persistent chemical smell near a house or what have you — it’s worth calling the department. Officers can check into unusual activity, even if it turns out to be nothing, and may add extra patrols to a neighborhood if there’s an issue.
The station can be reached by phone at 479855-3771.
Bella Vista resident Terri Duhon said she appreciated the chance to meet the chief and learn about the department.
“I’m new to town,” she said. “Very informative.”