LITTLE ROCK — Retired trooper and former U.S. Marshal J.R. Howard has been selected to lead the Arkansas State Police.
Gov. Mike Beebe introduced Howard as the new director at a news conference Monday at state police headquarters.
Howard retired as a major after a career in the state police that included leading the western criminal investigations division. He subsequently served as director of the Arkansas State Crime Lab and then was selected as U.S. Marshal for the Eastern District of Arkansas
Beebe, who said Howard was his first choice for the role, described Howard as a "police officer down to his bone marrow."
After being sworn in to the office, Howard said he had no plans for broad changes and said he has a lot to learn about how the agency has changed since he retired in December 2004.
"We will just meet the issues as they arise," Howard said. "I can't predict what they're going to be. There will be challenges when you deal with an organization the size of this and with the nature of the work."
Howard succeeds Col. Winford Phillips, who announced earlier this month that he was stepping down.
Read tomorrow's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.
Thank you for coming to the Web site of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. We're working to keep you informed with the latest breaking news.