Little Rock leaders say their new police chief has an important task before him: changing Arkansas' capital city.
Mayor Frank Scott Jr. said the hiring of Keith Humphrey, chief of police in Norman, Okla., would be a turning point for a city that needs to heal.
People who have worked for Humphrey in his 30 years as a law enforcement officer described him as a mentor with a knack for community engagement, and they are convinced Humphrey will make a difference.
In the months since former chief Kenton Buckner announced his intention to leave the department, city leaders and residents alike have called for a chief who could change things. A recent officer-involved fatal shooting -- and the outcry of the victim's family in the weeks since -- spurred those demands.
Four people who have worked alongside or supervised the new chief in the past said they are sure Humphrey can bring about change, if his history is any indicator.
"The officers in Arlington (Texas) and Lancaster (Texas), they still speak highly of him," said Rickey Childers, former city manager in Lancaster, who has known Humphrey for more than 20 years. "He wanted to do things a little differently, and he made a great impact. He's still making an impact. ... He will be outstanding in Little Rock."
Though Scott said Humphrey will take over the department by April 21 -- a month from Thursday's announcement -- Humphrey said in a later interview that he hopes to be in his new office by April 15.
Whichever day he officially takes the reins, Humphrey said, the first item on his agenda is the same.
"I have to make sure the community and the Police Department know who I am," Humphrey said as he and his wife, Pamela, made the long drive from Little Rock to Norman on Friday afternoon.
"I want them to be able to communicate with me effectively. There's some things we're going to have to look at quickly. There are other things that we're going to need time with."
A primary goal for his first 100 days on the job, he said, is to lay the groundwork for a citizen review or advisory board. Scott said in a city Board of Directors meeting last week that he wanted a draft of a city ordinance to create such a board by Friday, though by Friday no such draft had been released to media.
Humphrey, who kick-started a similar board in Norman, said establishing the committee can take time but is well worth the effort.
"We've got to get that set up," Humphrey said. "I can tell you right now that's something I believe in."
Humphrey said he intended to have the board fully functioning and in place six months from now.
Stacy Bruce, vice president of the Norman Citizens Advisory Board, said Humphrey began the committee in part out of his desire for transparency.
"He felt like having an advisory board made up of people in the community could look at things from citizens' eyes and advise," Bruce said. "The more people that understand what officers are doing, and trying to do, the stronger community. His philosophy is a community-policing philosophy, and he wants [residents] involved in that."
Bruce spoke highly of Humphrey, saying she'd lamented the news of his new job even as she'd congratulated him.
"The way he thinks is just incredible," she said. "Easy to like, easy to get to know."
In a community forum before his hiring, Humphrey said he wanted officers in Little Rock to change from a warrior mentality to that of a guardian. Bruce said he'd had the same goal in Norman.
"He said: 'The goal for officers is to go home. I want everybody to go home,'" Bruce said. "It's a culture that he's created, taking that warrior mentality out of it, and you can tell it in his officers."
In his speech to residents at the community forum this month, Humphrey said he intended to review and publish all department policies. When asked if that was still his intention, Humphrey emphatically said yes.
"For a long time, only officers saw policies," Humphrey said. "There's nothing in the policy that citizens shouldn't be able to see. They need to understand what we do, and why we do what we do."
In outlining his first days as chief, Humphrey said addressing the recent officer-involved shooting of 30-year-old Bradley Blackshire will also be high on his list of priorities.
Blackshire was shot and killed Feb. 22 after officer Charles Starks fired his department-issued weapon at least 15 times during a traffic stop on a stolen vehicle near West 12th Street and Kanis Road. At least 12 of the shots were fired after Starks stepped in front of the moving vehicle Blackshire was driving.
"I think just getting the citizens to be patient regarding that incident and proving that we're being transparent and proving that we'll be accountable will be important," Humphrey said. "These kinds of things take time."
Members of the community need to know they've been heard, Humphrey said, and they need to know he is the kind of leader who listens.
"If it comes from my heart, and I know that I'm doing what I need to be doing, I think that's what they want," Humphrey said. "I want them to know that I'm holding the officers accountable and the community accountable."
Norman Police Department Maj. Kevin Foster said he's sure Humphrey will be able to navigate the officer-involved shooting in part because he's seen the chief do it before.
"We've had similar incidents that were complicated like that," Foster said. "The thing that made that go a lot better was the chief was so transparent."
Foster said the first thing Humphrey did was contact the victim's family, news media and other interested parties and that, as soon as he could, he showed them the video.
"He doesn't try to hide things," Foster said. "I think that's what the community appreciates. They don't want to feel like you're hiding something. They want you to admit your mistakes and keep going, and he's very good at that."
Foster first met Humphrey when he was hired as Norman's chief in 2011. Before Humphrey came aboard, Foster thought the department had a good relationship with residents, he said.
"I thought we were doing great, but he has strengthened our bond with the community," Foster said.
"It's not just having events and talking, it's actually reaching out to some of those disenfranchised areas of the community and talking about the things no one really speaks of. He goes out and contacts them. He gives those people a voice, and it's amazing to see."
When asked about his strategy for community policing, Humphrey said he likens the department's relationship with residents to customer service and any business.
"I think we've got to remember that city government exists simply because the community allows it to exist," he said. "If you talk to five citizens and five officers, each has different concerns. But what I find behind those concerns is passion. They love the city. They love the job. They want that positive relationship. That's what I'm looking for."
Alongside his goals for community-oriented policing, Humphrey said he knows reducing violent crime is one of his highest priorities.
"I'm going to be laser-focused on reducing violence," Humphrey said. "I know [Scott] believes I'm the right man, but I'm going to make sure he knows that he made the right decision."
Carl Raines, former chairman of the Dallas Citizens Police Review Board, said Humphrey was the board's technical adviser in 2005.
"He has a lot of interpersonal skills," Raines said. "When citizens had complaints ... I'd call him. He was always articulate and not condescending -- just right on the money to try to diffuse some of these folks."
Childers, who knew Humphrey when he worked in Arlington and was later his supervisor in Lancaster, said Humphrey's skills at identifying with people made him an excellent recruiter.
"He has the ability to get along with people and identify talent and bring people on," Childers said. "Very seldom did I hear anything negative about him."
On the drive home Friday, Humphrey said he'd had trouble sleeping the night before. He'd driven to Little Rock early Thursday morning for the announcement, and he was excited.
About 11 p.m., he decided to send a departmentwide email introducing himself to the Little Rock Police Department. In an interview well before he became chief, Humphrey said he has a bad habit of staying up late and often sends emails or texts well after midnight.
To his surprise, several people emailed him back to introduce themselves, Humphrey said.
"I wanted them to know that I am here, that I'm going to be accessible," Humphrey said. "I really think we can do this, but I wanted to say that I can't do it alone.
"This isn't going to change overnight. It's got to be a partnership. I don't want them to think it's us versus them. It's all of us together."
A Section on 03/25/2019