A Northwest Arkansas city’s interim police chief will become the department’s permanent head in September, city officials confirmed Monday.
Alma’s police chief, Jeff Pointer, will become the department’s permanent leader effective Sept. 1, according to Mayor Jerry Martin.
Pointer has worked at the department since he was 18, starting in dispatch and working his way through the ranks, Martin said in an interview on Monday.
“Our departing police Chief Russell White has always spoken very highly of Jeff,” he said. “He says that he’s capable and that he’s ready for the position.”
Martin announced the appointment during Thursday’s city council meeting, according to a Facebook post by the department.
The mayor said he made the decision to appoint Pointer as full-time chief himself, though he notified the council in advance of his choice.
Although Martin interviewed other candidates, he said he didn’t feel compelled to go outside the department to make the appointment.
“He’s been very loyal to us through the years,” the mayor said. “And I think it demonstrates to the guys that we, too, will be loyal and that you have a chance to learn and to grow through the department.”
A ceremony celebrating his appointment is planned for Sept. 3.