An outside investigator resigned from her part-time job with Little Rock's Human Resources Department this fall, one day after Mayor Frank Scott Jr. suggested her investigation into Police Chief Keith Humphrey had been tainted by bias and announced that Humphrey would face no disciplinary action.
Arkansas Tech University associate professor Loretta Cochran was hired last year as a part-time "labor relations analyst II" for Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) investigations. She works in the university's department of management and marketing, according to its website.
In a letter dated Oct. 26, Cochran told Shella Atlas-Evans, the labor and employee relations division manager of the Human Resources Department, that she would resign effective 10:30 a.m. Oct. 29, according to personnel records obtained through an Arkansas Freedom of Information Act request.
"It has been my utmost pleasure to work with you and with your team in the Labor and Employee Relations Division these past 15 months," Cochran wrote. "The City of Little Rock is fortunate to have such a high level of knowledge, expertise, and dedication as is present in the staff and leadership throughout the Human Resources Department. Thank you for the opportunity to work with this exemplary group of professionals."
She applied for the job in June 2020 and was hired one month later, records show. Her pay was increased from $20 an hour to $25 an hour effective June 19 of this year.
Earlier this year, Cochran's final report related to Humphrey became the subject of protracted legal maneuvering by Robert Newcomb, a local attorney who frequently represents police officers in court, as he tried to obtain a copy of the 27-page summary and additional supporting documentation in light of his clients' claims against the police chief.
Before it reached Scott, Cochran's report had been sent to the desk of City Manager Bruce Moore, who then provided it to the mayor for a final determination on discipline.
[DOCUMENT: Read Cochran's resignation letter, other documents » arkansasonline.com/1219cochran/]
In the statement released Oct. 25, Scott said no disciplinary action would be taken against Humphrey.
The mayor indicated he was taking the unusual step of releasing the statement in an effort "to conclude this investigation and move forward with the necessary steps to ultimately improve public safety for Little Rock residents." At the same time, Scott raised doubts about the legitimacy of Cochran's inquiry.
"It is imperative that we avoid any appearance of impropriety or bias in employee investigations, and the investigator's affiliations and donation to a complainant's GoFundMe raised serious concerns about the legitimacy of her investigation," Scott said. "Further, the report offered many conclusory statements without actual findings of fact, while misstating or misinterpreting the relevant legal standards, and the evidence provided does not support the complaints filed."
The reference to the GoFundMe appeared to be related to a crowdfunding page set up to support David "Trey" Mattox and his family in the wake of the officer's termination from the Police Department. As of Friday, the GoFundMe page for Mattox listed a fundraising total of $6,285 out of an overall $10,000 goal.
Mattox was terminated after Humphrey upheld findings of untruthfulness and unauthorized investigation related to Mattox's involvement in the 2020 search for a local indecent-exposure suspect. Mattox's wife had been one of the victims.
In August, Cochran wrote to Little Rock Human Resources Director Stacey Witherell to reiterate that she viewed Mattox's termination as "a clear indication of racial discrimination, hostile working conditions, and retaliation by Lt. [Brittany] Gunn, Asst. Chief Crystal [Young-]Haskins, and Chief Keith Humphrey." Mattox is white; Humphrey and the two other police officials Cochran mentioned are Black.
Cochran wrote the termination would add to the "destabilization" of the Police Department and potentially leave the city vulnerable to monetary damages in the event of a lawsuit brought by Mattox or other personnel.
Mattox's firing was overturned last month by members of the Little Rock Civil Service Commission. Commissioners instead imposed a one-month suspension and a letter of reprimand while upholding the city's findings against him. Just days after the commission's ruling, Mattox resigned from the department to start working for the North Little Rock Police Department.
A finding of suspension or termination for Humphrey at the conclusion of the investigation would have presumably triggered the release of Cochran's report in response to a subsequent Arkansas Freedom of Information Act request.
In response to questions regarding Cochran's employment, Witherell confirmed Cochran was no longer employed with the city following her resignation, but did not provide a more detailed explanation.
Asked why Cochran was hired if her investigation into Humphrey was thought to be biased and whether the Human Resources Department was going to take any internal actions to prevent a similar misstep from occurring in the future, Witherell wrote, "The Department works to determine any potential conflicts of interests during the selection process. The issue of the donation to the Go Fund Me Account was an event that occurred after the selection process was completed and could not have been anticipated at the time of hire."
Witherell did not respond when asked if Cochran's work for the department had concluded at the time of her resignation, or if she had been meant to pursue additional investigations.
Cochran did not return an email and voicemail seeking comment Friday.