A group of businessmen, attorneys and community leaders has announced the formation of the Little Rock Police Foundation, a nonprofit organization that aims to support the Little Rock Police Department through donations and community programs.
The group, which is independent of the Police Department, hosted Chief Kenton Buckner and several state and local elected officials at a small fundraiser Thursday.
Foundation chairman Tim Anderson, a Little Rock investment adviser, said the group seeks to supplement the Police Department's $70.5 million budget. He said the foundation wants to help police "bridge the gap between communities," and provide technological resources and specialized training that the department can't afford.
Little Rock police have expressed interest in body-worn cameras and other equipment in recent years, but the cost has been prohibitive. Police foundations in other cities, including New York and Los Angeles, have helped departments cover such expenses.
"We are going to take action to help solve their needs because, ladies and gentlemen, action is not an option," Anderson said. "Action is a necessity. It's time to do it now."
Other foundation members include former the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, Jane Duke, and Henderson Middle School Principal Frank Williams.
The foundation had collected $20,000 before Thursday's fundraiser, according the group's treasurer, Little Rock attorney Adam Reid.
Anderson said formal fundraising goals hadn't been set, but he'd like the foundation to collect $100,000 in donations by July 4 and host one large fundraiser -- a "Super Bowl fundraiser," as he described it -- later in the year.
Anderson said much of the group's focus will be on programs that promote trust between police and the neighborhoods they patrol. He said the group saw demand for such programs last summer, when the fledgling organization put together a camp-out for children and police officers. Anderson said more than 300 children applied, but only 83 could be accepted.
Foundation members said providing services to domestic-violence victims, expanding youth intervention programs and helping police reduce violent crime also will be major goals.
Since being sworn in as police chief in June 2014, Buckner has repeatedly emphasized the need for his department to become more involved in the community, and vice versa. He often has referred to civil unrest in other cities, including Baltimore and Ferguson, Mo., to underscore the importance of that relationship.
Buckner said Thursday that he welcomes the support of the police foundation.
"A police foundation allows you to be a force multiplier in the community," he said. "We can't do everything. ... We have to have people who've adopted our mission as their own to uplift Little Rock."
Metro on 03/03/2017