Mayor Frank Scott Jr. has proposed an independent review of the Little Rock Police Department, after weeks of litigation and concerns aired about the chief.
In a statement released Tuesday night, Scott said the review would not be aimed at "one individual or one organization," but was an effort to provide insight into "any potential concerns with actions, behaviors or decisions being made."
He said the scope of the review will include personnel policies and practices, the handling of private and confidential information, and harassment and misconduct.
"The objective of this review is to ensure compliance with best practices in policy, procedure and protocol within our police department," Scott said. "This review will also reassure residents of the LRPD's integrity."
Scott said he will announce who will conduct the review "in the coming days."
The mayor has kept quiet on litigation from two of the Little Rock Police Department's assistant police chiefs and four additional department employees that has been brought within the past month.
Assistant chiefs Alice Fulk and Hayward Finks have filed suit accusing Little Rock Police Chief Keith Humphrey of retaliating against them after they testified that the mayor pressured the department to rush its investigation into the fatal shooting of Bradley Blackshire by an officer in February 2019.
Scott said in the statement that he would not comment on any lawsuits specifically, citing a standard practice of the city not to comment on or interfere with pending litigation.
"Because of that practice, we have no comment regarding the lawsuits. The facts relevant to those lawsuits will be adjudicated in a court of law," he said.
Two city directors, Ward 4's Capi Peck and Ward 5's Lance Hines, said last week that they lacked confidence in the chief.
Scott said many residents might agree with him that an independent review of the department is "long overdue." In his statement, he pointed to systemic issues that he said include nepotism, deescalation tactics and cultural competency, the internal affairs process, and the abuse of authority.
This is not the first time that Scott has asked for an independent look at the Little Rock Police Department. Before he was elected in 2018, he called on the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate the department, citing concerns from residents and an opinion piece in The Washington Post on the city's use of "no-knock warrants."
Scott also spearheaded the creation of a Citizen's Review Board to review police actions and investigations in the areas of corruption, discrimination and use of force. The formation of the board was approved by the Little Rock Board of Directors in July.
The mayor hired Humphrey in April 2019, after a national search in which Fulk and Finks were among the four finalists. Humphrey was previously the chief of police in Norman, Okla.
On Monday, Finks filed an emergency petition to Pulaski County Circuit Judge Chris Piazza calling for the judge to block an internal affairs investigation Humphrey initiated after news reports that questioned whether Humphrey has intervened in the ongoing hiring process for a department manager to help a friend, Karen Hunter, get an $80,000-per-year job.
The city's Human Resources Department is already investigating the chief's involvement, and that review "should be allowed to continue without interference from Humphrey," the three-page filing states.
The petition was filed in Finks' ongoing lawsuit against the chief and the city that accuses Humphrey of retaliating against Finks because he testified about the mayor pressuring the department into rushing its investigation into the fatal shooting of the 30-year-old Blackshire by officer Charles Starks last year.
The Human Resources Department is said to also be investigating the complaints Finks has made in his lawsuit, as well as the retaliation accusations made against Humphrey by Fulk, according to the petition.
A hearing has been set for May 28, court records show.
A third lawsuit was filed last week, this one on behalf of four employees of the Police Department accusing Humphrey and the city of denying access to their personnel files in violation of the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act.
The plaintiffs in that suit are three officers -- Capt. Russell King, Sgt. Christopher McCauley and Lt. Rusty Rothwell -- and a civilian employee of the department, Kandice Hause, who works as a police victim services coordinator.
After the Police Department was mentioned during the public comment portion of the Little Rock Board of Directors meeting Monday night, three city directors said they would not discuss the chief.
John Gilchrist, a Little Rock officer and a member of the Little Rock Fraternal Order of Police executive board, said he wanted to discuss " some concerning issues" with the mayor and city directors privately. He said his concerns were related to spending, but he declined to elaborate at the podium.
"If you're talking about the chief, I don't want to hear it," Ward 1 City Director Erma Hendrix said.
Ward 2 City Director Ken Richardson and Ward 6 City Director Doris Wright said later in the meeting that they did not want to discuss Humphrey either.
"If you have any more talk about the chief, do not call me as well," Richardson said.
Wright concurred.
"I echo that point; I will not discuss anything relative to personnel. I don't mind anything financial, but not about ongoing issues," Wright said.
Information for this article was contributed by William Sanders, John Lynch and Joseph Flaherty of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
A Section on 05/20/2020