# Little Rock Police Department

The Little Rock Police Department (LRPD), is the primary law enforcement agency for Little Rock, Arkansas in the United States.

## History

In 1831 the Town of Little Rock was incorporated and Dr. Matthew Cunningham won the first mayoral election. In 1835 Little Rock was incorporated as the first City in the Arkansas Territory. The Little Rock Police Department was established in 1866 and in 1892 the first paid Little Rock Fire Department was created.

### Civil rights era

The Little Rock Police placed barriers around Little Rock Central High School during the anti-integration riots against the Little Rock Nine. During the integration of the school, the Arkansas National Guard was called in to prevent the Nine from entering the school. Governor Faubus was persuaded by President Eisenhower to remove the guard, and at the time of their removal, the Little Rock Police Department took over the situation and attempted to escort the Nine into the school. Due to the rioting, the police were forced to evacuate the students. Eventually, the 101st Airborne Division was called in by Eisenhower to bring order to the situation.
In 2003, the son of Elizabeth Eckford, who was one of the Nine, was killed by Little Rock Police after pointing an assault rifle at them: she described it as "suicide by police". According to an LRPD officer, he had mental health issues.
Little Rock Police arrested the Freedom Riders when they entered the city in 1957.
In 1978 a group of officers filed suit against the LRPD for racial discrimination. The court ultimately found in favor of LRPD.

### Misconduct

In 1988, Police Chief Jess F. ″Doc″ Hale was arrested after stealing less than $200 from a drug store register. After being suspended, he committed suicide.
In January 2011, Officer Jason Gilbert and two other officers from nearby agencies were indicted for a conspiracy to rob an armored car. The charges included a failed September 10, 2007 attempt to rob an armored car. In March 2012, Gilbert was sentenced to three and a half years in prison.
In February 2011, Officer Rick Harmon was arrested for drunk driving.
In May 2012 two officers, Mark Anthony Jones and Randall Tremayn Robinson, were arrested after helping to facilitate drug deals while on duty.

### Josh Hastings

In September 2012, Officer Josh Hastings was charged with manslaughter in the shooting death of fifteen-year-old Bobby Moore. According to the charging documents, Moore was shot in the head as he was backing away from the officer trying to flee in a stolen car. Officer Hastings had been on the force for five years and had been suspended six times previously. In April, 2014, after two deadlocked juries, charges were dropped as prosecutors said no jury was willing to convict Hastings. He had been fired from his job, but his lawyer said he would take steps to return to the department. Later investigation revealed that Hastings was hired in spite of internal objections of Hastings having once attended a Ku Klux Klan meeting and lying about it on his application. During his tenure at LRPD, Hastings used force an estimated 63 times and collected over 30 disciplinary citations, for actions such as "sleeping on the job, abusive language, failure to file reports, failure to appear in court, failure to notify authorities of a dead body, conduct unbecoming an officer, insubordination, and untruthfulness", as well as reckless driving.

### SWAT operation

In early 2019, press reports indicated that the department serves all search warrants with a SWAT unit. Most drug-related warrants are "no-knock," meaning the police can use explosives to enter a home without warning.

## Rank structure

* Rank
* Chief
* Assistant Chief
* Captain
* Lieutenant
* Sergeant
* Police Officer
The Little Rock Police Department has various positions for detectives, Field Training Officers, and other mission specific assignments, but these are not considered official ranks by the department.

## Organization

The department is organized into a number of divisions. These are:
* Executive Bureau
** Headquarters
** Training Division
** Communications Division
* Investigative Bureau
** Records and Support Division
** Major Crimes Division
* Investigative Bureau
** Special Investigations Division
* Field Services Bureau
** Special Operations Division
** Patrol Division
*** 12th Street Patrol
*** Northwest Patrol
*** Southwest Patrol

## LRPD Fallen Heros

| Rank | Name F MI L | Date of Death | Cause of Death | Age |
| Officer | William L. Copeland | 12-31-1885 | Beaten and killed with a blunt object as he questioned a work release prisoner as to why he was in town and not back in jail past his allotted time | N/A | N/A |
| Police Officer | W.T. Phillips | 08-02-1908 | Shot and killed while attempting to arrest a drunk man shortly after midnight | 22 | N/A |
| Sergeant | William I. Campbell | 04-18-1911 | Shot and killed by a fellow drunk Officer during an argument | 32 | N/A |
| Police Officer | John O. Miller | 04-23-1911 | Shot and killed while attempting to arrest a man for disturbing the peace | N/A | N/A |
| Detective | Sam D. Morgan | 10-30-1915 | Shot and killed with another Officer’s gun during a fight with a man that multiple Officers were attempting to arrest | 55 | On W 12th Street in Little Rock, Arkansas |
| Police Officer | Joe Erber | 06-06-1920 | Shot and killed after arriving on scene to a domestic disturbance call involving a drunk man | 59 | At a house boat on the Arkansas River near Lincoln Avenue in North Little Rock, Arkansas |
| Police Officer | Thomas D. Hudson | 08-19-1920 | Shot and killed after interrupting a burglary in progress | 26 | Inside a cafe on W 9th Street in Little Rock, Arkansas |
| Detective Sergeant | John W. Cabiness | 08-12-1922 | Accidentally shot and killed by a U.S. Marshal who mistook Sergeant Cabiness for a railroad striker that was out to get him | N/A | N/A |
| Detective Sergeant | George W. Moore | 07-24-1923 | Shot and killed along with Detective Sergeant Luther C. Hay (who later died on 07-26-1923) after the two men walked in on illegal activities including a dice game; one of the suspects was wanted for the earlier murder of Okmulgee County (OK) Deputy Sheriff John Lung on 09-15-1922 | N/A | N/A |
| Detective Sergeant | Luther C. Hay | 07-26-1923 | Succumbed to six gunshot wounds sustained on 07-24-1923 after being shot along with Detective Sergeant George W. Moore (who died at the scene) after the two men walked in on illegal activities including a dice game; one of the suspects was wanted for the earlier murder of Okmulgee County (OK) Deputy Sheriff John Lung on 09-15-1922 | N/A | N/A |
| Police Officer | Charles B. Faulkner | 07-13-1924 | Succumbed to injuries sustained on 07-11-1924 after being in a crash while on his motorcycle after a vehicle pulled out in front of him; Officer Faulkner was responding to a drunken fight at the time | 27 | N/A |
| Police Officer | Harvey L. Biggs | 07-27-1924 | Shot and killed as he and his partner lay in wait for several men that were stealing parts off an abandoned car in a ditch | 33 | N/A |
| Police Officer | Frank E. Swilling Sr. | 12-11-1926 | Succumbed to injuries sustained the previous day after being struck by a vehicle while on a traffic stop | 33 | Intersection of 4th Street and Main Street in Little Rock, Arkansas |
| Police Officer | Robert A. Johnson | 03-23-1930 | Killed in a crash while on his police motorcycle after being struck by a car | 23 | Intersection of 3rd Street and Victory Street in Little Rock, Arkansas |
| Detective Sergeant | Samuel Neal McDermott | 09-03-1930 | Succumbed to gunshot wounds sustained on 08-27-1930 after being shot while attempting to arrest two out of six escaped prisoners from the Pulaski County Jail | 31 | Behind the Little Rock National Cemetery in Little Rock, Arkansas |
| Detective Lieutenant | Oscar F. Deubler | 01-01-1947 | Shot and killed by a fellow Officer who then committed suicide | 32 | N/A |
| Police Officer | Lloyd W. Worthy | 09-02-1967 | Shot and killed while chasing a man leaving the scene of an abandoned vehicle he stopped to investigate | 27 | N/A |
| Police Officer | Alvin Joseph Free | 09-27-1970 | Killed in a crash while in his patrol car after a vehicle pulled out in front of him as he responded to backup at a domestic disturbance call | 22 | N/A |
| Detective | Noel Don McGuire | 05-14-1980 | Shot and killed by a 15-year-old while on a traffic stop; unknown to Detective McGuire, the 15 y/o and his 16 y/o partner had just committed an armed robbery in the neighboring county | 23 | N/A |
| Patrolman | David E. Barnett | 02-13-1991 | Shot and killed while off-duty as he attempted to stop an armed robbery | 33 | Inside a Waffle House in Little Rock, Arkansas |
| Patrolman | Henry Lee Callanen | 05-15-1993 | Shot and killed while off-duty working his second job at a local McDonald’s; as Patrolman Callanen walked the short distance from McDonald’s to the local bank to make a deposit, he was confronted by two robbers that held him up, leading to a shootout | 62 | N/A |
| Detective | Joseph Tucker Fisher | 02-07-1995 | Shot and killed as he helped serve a narcotics warrant at an apartment complex; Detective Frederick Lee was also shot in the head but survived | 34 | In an apartment complex on Butler Road in Little Rock, Arkansas |
| Police Officer | Jack David Cooper | 02-02-2002 | Succumbed to gunshot wounds sustained the previous day after being shot by a man he responded to due to complaining of vampires | 34 | N/A |
| K9 | Titus | 07-15-2015 | Died from heat exhaustion following a fairly long foot pursuit of a suspect wanted for breaking into vehicles | N/A | N/A |
| Police Officer | Oscar F. Barnett | 07-24-2015 | Shot and killed in the chest after responding to a suspicious person call | N/A | N/A |