VIDEO: Little Rock chief logs on Facebook for questions, complaints

Little Rock Police Chief Kenton Buckner answered questions on crime, drugs, officer recruitment and numerous other topics Tuesday morning on Facebook Live, the first online video chat in the Police Department's effort to increase public communication and show transparency through social media.

The one-hour broadcast, which had more than 15,000 views as of late Tuesday, included personal questions -- one woman said her car was stolen six months ago and asked why police hadn't done more to find it -- and questions on larger issues the city is facing, such as gun violence.

Other people wanted updates on high-profile cases. Two people asked Buckner whether the department was still investigating the disappearance of Ebby Jane Steppach, a teenage girl who was reported missing in October 2015.

"We never give up on our missing persons," Buckner said.

Buckner, who became police chief in June 2014, told viewers that it was his "duty and responsibility" to communicate with residents, no matter the medium.

He's one of several police chiefs across the country who have hosted question-and-answer sessions on Facebook Live. Lawmen in Pennsylvania, California, Maryland and Tennessee have reportedly used the streaming video service, which Facebook launched in January 2016, to hold public forums.

"We're trying to be innovative and creative in ways that touch people from various demographics all over the city," Little Rock police neighborhood watch and public affairs coordinator Victoria Brown said.

Many viewers Tuesday had recruiting questions for Buckner. Some asked the police chief why each of the eight officers who graduated from the police training academy last week received a $5,000 signing bonus, but some* veteran officers haven't had a salary increase in years.

Buckner, who appeared on video wearing a dress shirt and tie, said the agency is negotiating new financial incentives for veteran officers with the Little Rock Fraternal Order of Police.

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He said entry-level officers received bonuses because the department "needed to do something to make ourselves more competitive" when it comes to recruiting. The department is authorized to hire 590 sworn officers and has 72 vacancies.

Future Little Rock police officers may have been watching the broadcast Tuesday; two wrote that they had applied to join the department.

"I look forward to serving the Little Rock community," one wrote.

Several viewers questioned Buckner about patrols in their neighborhoods. Some of them wanted information on police response times. One wanted to know why officers don't arrest panhandlers more often.

"The problem that we have is, given the level of crime that we have in our city and the number of calls for service that we respond to in our city, [panhandling] is a very, very low priority," Buckner replied.

There were some questions Buckner said he wasn't able to answer. One person asked why jail inmates weren't being used every day to "clean the city streets." Another asked what it would take for convicted burglars to be forced to wear ankle monitors after being released from prison.

Buckner, in response to both of those questions, said the judicial system decides how criminals are punished, not police.

Brown said the Facebook Live broadcast was the first of many the department plans to host.

Little Rock police used social media sparingly in the past. But over the past three years, they have begun posting traffic alerts, public safety notifications, job links and case updates on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and other platforms numerous times per day.

Department spokesman Lt. Steve McClanahan said the department has increased its social media activity at the recommendation of the President's Task Force on 21st Century Policing.

The task force, created by former President Barack Obama, suggested in 2015 that law enforcement agencies implement "responsive and current" social media practices to build relationships and develop trust with communities.

The Little Rock department has also used social media to seek tips from the public. Its Twitter and Instagram accounts have more than 10,800 combined followers, and its Facebook page has more than 17,600 "likes."

But not everybody "liked" the Facebook Live chat Tuesday.

"LRPD has gone down hill since the 90s," one person wrote. "Sad."

Other people did not have questions for Buckner. They had statements.

"Stop killing black ppl," one viewer wrote.

Many others left comments showing their support for the department.

"Chief Buckner, I just want to say God bless you and thank you for your service to the Little Rock community," one person said.

Buckner has routinely asked residents to become more involved in schools, community programs and other initiatives that he believes will help lower crime in the city. He did so again before ending the video chat Tuesday.

"We have the ability to lift Little Rock into a city that we will all be proud of," he said. "Little Rock's a great city, but we certainly have our challenges. We will not be able to tackle those challenges without working together."

Metro on 02/08/2017

*CORRECTION: Union-eligible members of the Little Rock Police Department have received salary increases of between 1 percent and 4 percent each year since 1999, excluding 2010, when an additional two weeks of leave was offered after a salary agreement was postponed. A previous version of this story included a statement that Little Rock police officers hadn’t received a salary increase in years.

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