Little Rock Police Chief Keith Humphrey will step down later this month after serving as chief for approximately three years, Mayor Frank Scott Jr. announced Monday.
The news of Humphrey's impending departure follows a tumultuous period at the Police Department -- one marked by internal conflict between the chief and his subordinates as well as a recent increase in Little Rock homicides.
In a memo notifying the mayor of his retirement, Humphrey cast himself as a reformer and said he had been able to make "needed changes" within the department during his time at the helm.
"Whenever a chief is hired from the outside, they will either serve as a reformer, visionary, or change agent. I have been fortunate to serve as all three," Humphrey wrote.
He later added, "I hope in the future there will be those within the department that will recognize and appreciate my dedication to make this department cutting edge."
His last day will be May 20. Assistant Chief Crystal Young-Haskins will serve as interim chief beginning May 21 amid a national search for Humphrey's replacement, a city news release said.
Humphrey, 58, was sworn in as Little Rock's police chief in April 2019, shortly after Scott was inaugurated for his first term as mayor.
Before Scott tapped him to lead the department, Humphrey served as police chief in Norman, Okla., for eight years. He previously worked for three police departments in Texas.
His tenure in Little Rock was dominated by the fallout from the fatal shooting of Bradley Blackshire in February 2019.
Additionally, Humphrey over the past three years has clashed publicly with high-ranking members of his department as well as the leadership of the largest local police union, known as the Little Rock Fraternal Order of Police, Lodge No. 17.
News of Humphrey's upcoming retirement arrived ahead of any announcement regarding the results of inquiries into the chief's actions during a recent shooting.
Officials at the Little Rock Police Department and the local prosecuting attorney's office have yet to announce findings in separate investigations examining an incident in which Humphrey fired his gun at an armed suspect on Dec. 31. (The suspect was apparently unhurt.)
Humphrey spent a brief period on leave before returning to active duty soon after the event.
"Chief Humphrey brought meaningful reform to our police department and a renewed focus on community policing during his tenure as chief," Scott said in a statement. "He remained loyal to his officers and to this city in the midst of adversity and challenging times."
A city spokesman on Monday provided the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette with Humphrey's memo notifying the mayor of his retirement.
"On behalf of myself and my family, I would like to thank you for providing me with the opportunity to lead and reform the largest law enforcement agency in the State of Arkansas," Humphrey wrote in the memo dated April 26.
"You have continued to be a strong proponent for LRPD," Humphrey added. "Little Rock has become a better City with you as Mayor."
With Scott's support over the past three years, the police chief had been able to make internal changes, Humphrey wrote.
"I believe the changes were necessary to address many of the inequalities that citizens[,] especially citizens and officers of color, have and continue to express," Humphrey wrote.
Humphrey listed what he saw as key initiatives implemented over the past three years. They included the additions of a social-worker program, a citizen police review board, body-worn cameras and a civilian public-information official, plus increased numbers of women and minority-group members in supervisory roles.
He also named other initiatives still in progress, such as the implementation of a real-time crime center.
The killing of Blackshire, a 30-year-old Black man, by then-officer Charles Starks took place before Humphrey arrived in the chief's office. Nevertheless, the deadly traffic stop set off a chain of events, accusations and recriminations that consumed part of Humphrey's time as chief.
Starks, who is white, did not face charges in connection with the incident, but Humphrey terminated him in May 2019 for violating police rules related to Starks' decision to step in front of the vehicle Blackshire was driving.
Several members of the department -- including two assistant chiefs serving at the time -- later sued Humphrey. They alleged that the police chief retaliated against them and their allies because of testimony delivered during Starks' Civil Service Commission appeal of his termination.
Humphrey countersued in 2020 with a complaint that named the Fraternal Order of Police, its leaders and many others. The police chief alleged that his opponents had conspired to force him out as a result of his push for serious departmental changes. (A federal judge dismissed Humphrey's lawsuit last year.)
Members of the Fraternal Order of Police in 2020 approved a no-confidence resolution on Humphrey. Later that year, the department's three assistant chiefs and seven of 10 captains signed a letter addressed to city leaders in which they said Humphrey was responsible for a toxic and hostile work environment.
Around the same time, the Little Rock Black Police Officers Association defended Humphrey as the chief weathered the criticism.
The selection of the next police chief will fall to Scott, who has backed Humphrey and largely avoided commenting on the department infighting during the past three years.
Humphrey's decision to retire precedes an election season in which Scott is expected to face several challengers as he seeks a second term.
The first round of voting in the nonpartisan mayoral contest will take place in November. The Fraternal Order of Police recently endorsed businessman Steve Landers Sr., one of Scott's opponents.
As of late last month, the number of homicides in Little Rock this year was up 14% compared with the same period in 2021 and was 50% above the five-year average, according to statistics released by the department.
Recent shootings have prompted an intensified focus on violent crime locally.
At Scott's request, the city board on Feb. 1 approved a resolution that declared violence to be a public health emergency. The mayor and other city officials recently held a string of weekly news conferences on crime.
Responding to questions via email Monday evening, Scott's spokesman Aaron Sadler indicated that the mayor was not behind Humphrey's decision to step down.
"The Mayor did not ask or encourage Chief Humphrey to retire," Sadler wrote.
According to Sadler, Scott was unavailable for comment.
Humphrey did not return a call, and two Police Department officials did not immediately respond to an interview request. Michael Laux, an attorney who represented Humphrey in his federal countersuit, said in an email that the chief was unavailable for comment Monday evening.
OFFICIALS REACT
Members of the Little Rock Board of Directors offered comments on Humphrey's impending departure and the search for a new chief when reached by phone Monday after news broke of Humphrey's retirement.
At-large City Director Joan Adcock said she would rather not comment when asked about how she would assess Humphrey's performance.
"I'd rather look forward and not backwards," Adcock said.
Adcock said she would like to see a local individual hired as the next chief. "Someone that understands our city and the people in our city," she said. "We have some excellent candidates here in Little Rock."
At-large City Director Antwan Phillips said he appreciated Humphrey's "role in the community."
"I know a lot more people feel more involved and engaged with their Police Department because of the effort made by Chief Humphrey, so that's good news and to be applauded," Phillips said.
He also referred to the department's efforts to apprehend violent-crime suspects.
Asked about the qualities he would like to see in the next police chief, Phillips demurred, explaining that he had just received the news of Humphrey's retirement.
He said that "if called upon, I will share my thoughts, but I understand that this decision is the mayor's decision."
City Director Doris Wright, who represents Ward 6, wished Humphrey well during his retirement, noting that "it has been a rough three years."
In light of the covid-19 pandemic and increasing crime, Wright said that she "can imagine he's tired and, you know, wants to spend some time with his family, so I wish him all the best."
She declined to comment on the criticism Humphrey has faced and on his overall performance.
"He's gone now. He's made the decision to leave, and I don't think it's appropriate for me to comment at this time," Wright said.
Wright indicated that during the search for the next police chief, she would like to see someone promoted from within.
Although she said she did not have an individual in mind, Wright suggested that "sometimes having knowledge of a department can hopefully help stabilize it."