Won't miss all-hours calls about work, outgoing North Little Rock chief declares

Outgoing North Little Rock Police Chief Mike Davis says he won't miss the 2 a.m. work phone calls.

The nature of police work and his job has had him tethered to his cellphone, which often lit up bearing bad news.

"When I get a call from one of the people I work with at 7 o'clock at night, it's usually not good," Davis said. "And I say 7 o'clock -- it could be 2 o'clock, 3 o'clock, 4 o'clock."

Instead, he's looking forward to receiving "hey, how's the fishing?" calls from friends.

Davis, 59, announced last week that he will retire March 1 after 34 years on the force.

"You just kind of know when it's time, and for me, it was time," he said. "It's been a great career."

Davis said he has been asked several times if he has plans to run for political office like his predecessor, former Police Chief Danny Bradley, who now is chief of staff for Mayor Joe Smith, but Davis said Tuesday that he has no such aspirations.

"I've told everybody I know I would never consider that," he said.

Davis said he still intends to do things to help the community. He doesn't have a job lined up after he retires next month, but he said he will continue to work with local houses of worship, training them in safety and security protocols.

"That's just not about guns, that's about the total package," Davis said. "That's about how to deal with medical emergencies, fires, threats, aggressive individuals, troubled people that come that need assistance -- how to help them."

Michael Gibbons, president of the North Little Rock Fraternal Order of Police John E. Charles Lodge #5, praised Davis and how he worked with the group to ensure a fair work environment for officers while keeping the public interest a top priority.

"When I received the call from Chief Davis telling me he planned to announce his retirement, I was speechless," Gibbons said in an email to the Democrat-Gazette. "It was like I was told a loved one had passed away. I knew it was coming sometime this year, however, I was hoping it would be much later."

Metro on 02/09/2020

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