Ten contenders to be the next Little Rock police chief were announced this morning in a press release from the city, and the list includes Little Rock Police Department Assistant Chiefs Alice Fulk and Hayward Finks as well as an Arkansas State Police commander and a Saline County deputy. Mayor Frank Scott Jr. issued the following statement:
“It is a testament to Little Rock’s future that the City drew strong interest both from here in Arkansas as well as from coast to coast to be the next Little Rock Police Chief,” said Mayor Frank D. Scott, Jr. “In the coming weeks, I look forward to learning about their visions for Little Rock, not just for the Police Department, but for the entire City.”
In alphabetical order, the candidates are:
Deputy Chief Eric Carter, City of Chicago Police Department;
Commander Todd Chamberlain (ret.), City of Los Angeles Police Department;
Commander Keith Eremea, Arkansas State Police;
Assistant Chief Hayward Finks, City of Little Rock Police Department;
Chief Deputy Jeffrey Fitzpatrick, Saline County Sheriff’s Office;
Assistant Chief Alice Fulk, City of Little Rock Police Department;
Chief Keith Humphrey, City of Norman, Okla. Police Department;
Deputy Chief Michael Scott Kreher, City of Atlanta Police Department;
Lieutenant Matthew Murray (former Chief of Staff), City of Denver Police Department;
and Major Danny O. Williams, City of Dallas Police Department.
Interviews with the finalists will be conducted over the next two weeks. In a press conference Wednesday afternoon, Mayor Scott said the 10 candidates will then be narrowed down to 3-5 finalists, and a community forum process will then be instituted for citizen input.
PS: I’d be derelict if I didn’t mention Eremes’ brush with fame in these pages: A speed enforcement detail in 2010 when traffic was streaming to a Razorback football game.
A State Police spokesman said troopers turned out for a speed enforcement detail near Conway on Interstate 40 between 8 and 10:30 a.m. Saturday. There were 45 speeding citations issued — one for a driver timed going 101 mph. 27 warnings were issued. Capt. Keith Eremea was standing roadside with a sign saying “Too Late.” His presence and the sign served to obscure the speed detection equipment.