Eric Higgins has been sworn in as the new Pulaski County sheriff.
Higgins, a former Little Rock assistant police chief, is the first black sheriff to be elected in Pulaski County. He was sworn in to a standing ovation Tuesday morning at a ceremony at the Pulaski County courthouse.
He told the crowd he plans to focus on community policing and reducing recidivism.
Higgins said in a profile last year that he has tried to change the perception of police officers during his career.
“Enforcement is not the primary thing that we do," he said. "The primary thing that we do is prevention. That’s through the relationships we build with the community.”
As sheriff, Higgins oversees the largest sheriff's office and the largest county jail in Arkansas. The department has about 400 sworn law enforcement officers, plus about 130 civilian personnel. The jail houses 1,210 beds.
Enforcement deputies for the sheriff's office patrol roughly 570 square miles of unincorporated county land, home to about 50,000 people.
Higgins — who defeated Carl Minden in the Democratic primary and then had no challengers in the general election — succeeds Doc Holladay, who retired after serving as sheriff for 12 years.
Read Wednesday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.
Rachel Herzog contributed to this story.