In the past two years, Jacksonville officials have twice gone outside the Police Department -- and, in fact, outside the state -- to hire a new police chief. For the city's third search, the mayor said a local officer may be the best choice for chief.
Mayor Bob Johnson asked then-Jacksonville Police Chief John Franklin to resign Oct. 22, and he appointed criminal investigations division Capt. Joseph McCollough as interim chief. But in an interview last week, Johnson said the "interim" title may soon be dropped.
"All my advisers that have been in law enforcement ... I called them and they said, 'If you can figure out to promote from within, you'll be better off,'" Johnson said. "It just kind of fell into place. For now, we're going to hope that someone that has 31 years of experience in the department ... can help morale and get the department going in the right direction."
The department of 53 officers has struggled in recent years to keep its leadership, with McCollough being the fourth chief in three years. Johnson said a local leader could be the key to bringing continuity to the department.
"It is always best when you can promote from within because it allows all the others in the department to see they can come up through the ranks," City Council Member Terry Sansing said. "That's always the best way to go. ... [McCollough,] he's just a good cop. He seems to be well-liked, well-respected. Everybody in the department knows him; he is a known entity in the department."
Council Member Reedie Ray echoed Sansing's sentiment, saying a local leader knows the department better than an outsider.
"We've had police chiefs in the last three years in and out, in and out -- that's part of running a city," Ray said. "[McCollough] has done a good job all these years. I have the highest respect for him. We just need to let him do the job."
Johnson said he's not ready to officially name McCollough chief, noting that he wanted to work with the veteran officer for a period of months to make sure he's the right fit.
McCollough is in the process of moving into the chief's office, with some personal items still at his captain's desk. He's receiving the chief's salary, and he's advocating for the Police Department's needs with other city leaders.
"It's only been a couple weeks, but I'm happy to say I'm pleased already," Johnson said after touting the department's recent $200,000 illegal-gambling bust.
Investigators made 14 arrests, seized 62 gambling machines and ATMs and confiscated $209,089 in cash on Nov. 4 after executing 11 search warrants. The gas stations and small retail stores targeted were spread throughout the city.
Johnson said he was not sure how long the probationary period for McCollough would last, and he didn't want to speculate.
Though 53 officers are currently on staff, the department has 70 officer positions available, according to staffing information released through an Arkansas Freedom of Information Act request.
Addressing the officer shortage, McCollough said, will be one of his main priorities during his time as interim chief.
McCollough applied to be a police officer for the department in 1987. Though he initially started his career as an auto mechanic, McCollough said he "went back to the dream" of being an officer soon after graduating from college.
Over the past 31 years -- 32 years in March -- McCollough has held almost every position in the department, from patrolman to investigator to supervisor and, now, to chief. Along the way, McCollough and his wife of 35 years, Donna McCollough, raised two children who have begun raising their families in Jacksonville, too.
"I've been in Jacksonville and in this department for most of my life, and to help and to lead the department -- that's what I want to do," McCollough said. "I think I'm the best option for stabilizing the department."
In the past three years, the Jacksonville Police Department has weathered multiple lawsuits, city oversight and allegations of misconduct. After so much upheaval, McCollough said, the officers need a leader they can trust.
"The officers, they know me and they trust me," McCollough said. "There are times that [the chief] should be an insider, and this is one of them. I know this city."
Geoffrey Herweg, who was sworn in as Jacksonville's police chief in the spring of 2017 to replace retiring chief Kenny Boyd, was found unfit to serve the office after having lied to police in Texas about a vehicle crash that damaged a car and a house in 2000. A Pulaski County circuit judge removed Herweg from the position, and the removal was later upheld by the Arkansas Supreme Court.
After Herweg's ouster, then-Mayor Gary Fletcher appointed City Attorney Robert Bamburg as director of the department, but five Jacksonville police officers later filed suit against the city, saying that Bamburg was holding the position illegally and that "chaos" was breaking out under the city attorney's leadership, according to previous reports.
In the summer of 2018, Fletcher hired Franklin, a veteran Chicago police officer and law enforcement professor. Just 16 months into Franklin's tenure, Johnson, who succeeded Fletcher as mayor, asked in October for Franklin's resignation.
Though Johnson declined to comment on the reason for the resignation, saying only that there were "personnel issues" he could not disclose, an email between the mayor, Human Resources Director Charlette Nelson and City Attorney Stephanie Friedman lays out several complaints against Franklin.
The email -- dated July 22 -- lists topics that were discussed between the three city officials in a meeting and says there was a "toxic work environment" at the department.
"Homophobic/sexist commentary is unacceptable--multiple complaints have been made," said the email, which Friedman sent.
Among the other allegations were "playing favorites" and reorganizing promotion lists to accommodate for the "favorites," having one captain oversee both patrol and internal affairs, and leaking information to the public and the media. The list also says, "After the use of lethal force, an outside source should be requested immediately to investigate the scene."
Johnson declined last week to comment on the email's allegations.
Though the leadership has been unstable, McCollough said he believes the people of the department are qualified and dedicated to the city.
"The officers here, they're good people," McCollough said. "The people who trained me and the people I've trained, we've become friends and we share a loyalty and connection to Jacksonville."
Metro on 11/11/2019