Chief of Police Office

Patrol Division

Captain Willie McCoy, commander

The Patrol Division is the largest division within the HSPD. This division works 24 hours per day everyday including holidays. This division is divided into 3 sections: Day Shift, Swing Shift and Graveyard Shift. All of the officers who make up this division wear uniforms and patrol their assigned areas in marked units. They respond to every type of call generated by the public and operate as a visible deterrent to immediate, would be, criminal activity.

They protect as well as serve. Uniformed officers are sought out by tourists for help with directions, parking inquiries and answers to all types of questions. All newly hired officers are assigned to this division during the mandatory one year probationary period.

Each officer assigned to the Patrol Division is assigned a marked police car. The car is kept at the officer’s house. The officer is on duty when he/she gets into the car at the beginning of the shift. Normally, the officer patrols alone throughout the entire shift. Special situations allow the officers to double up and sometimes for a raid or similar function, they may ride as many as four to a car.
Within the Patrol Division are specialized units. These small groups of officers spend most of their time dealing with issues that are specific to their specialized job.

K-9 Unit

The K-9 Unit is made up of two dogs teams. Each team consists of a handler and a dog. The handler attends a four month Police Dog Handler/Trainer School in Dallas, Texas. These handlers picked up their dogs, Tex and Nero, on the first day at the school. The dogs are given commands in Dutch and French. They are dual certified for patrol (bite) and narcotics detection.

The other dog team is assigned to patrol regularly throughout the city. Both dog teams work erratic and confusing schedules in order to prevent anyone from guessing when the dogs will be working.

The dog teams drive marked, specially equipped vehicles. The back seats of these cars have been modified for the comfort of and the ease of transporting the dog. The rear seat has been removed and a platform has been installed which allows the dog to lay down and stretch out. There is a special water bowl that will not tip over. There is a device the handler carries that will open the rear passenger door by remote control. There is a rubber kick pad on the driver door that aids the dog with traction, and saves the paint on the door, when jumping from the driver’s window. And, finally, there is a special climate control system that adjusts itself so the dog never gets too hot while sitting in the car.

Housing Authority

The Housing Authority is divided into two complexes. One complex is located on Spring Street and the other is on Illinois Street. These housing units serve as apartment complexes which house a total of approximately 600-800 people. The rent is subsidized by the Federal Government in order to help low income families regain financial independence.

As expected with lower income areas, the crime rate tends to be a little higher. This was true before the implementation of the Housing Authority. These residents saw a higher concentration of property crime than most areas typically did. Also, illegal drug use and sales were more prevalent in the open here than in the other areas of the city. The Police Department realized this, studied the trends and put a virtual stop to the escalating crime rate in these areas. The crime rate is no higher here than any other area of the city due to the outstanding efforts of the Housing Authority and HSPD Officers assigned here.

There are officers assigned to the Housing Authority. Patrol Officers and K-9 Officers are assigned to these complexes. They work rotating shifts and come in at different times of the day and night. This tends to make it more difficult for the criminal element to keep track of the officer’s schedules. Officers from the other divisions drive through the complexes from time to time as well.

Traffic Enforcement

All officers can, and do, issue tickets for traffic violations. The HSPD Traffic Division is dedicated to it. These officers issue more traffic tickets than the entire Police Department combined. They also work all of the traffic wrecks within the city limits during their assigned shifts. Late evening and Midnight or "Graveyard " shift work wrecks also.

The Hot Springs Police Department utilizes Community Service Officers (CSO’s) to handle the minor, property damage only wrecks. These officers are civillians who are interested in the field of law enforcement and want to learn more about it. The CSOs write traffic tickets to violations that contribute to the particular collision. These officer’s wear a slightly different uniform than that of the commissioned police officer and they drive a marked police car equipped with orange emergency lights. The CSO does not take the car home at the end of the shift.

All traffic units that are driven by commissioned officers are equipped with traffic radar. Many of these cars have video cameras installed. The cameras are capable of recording video and sound. These cameras have proven to be invaluable weapons during courtroom testimony as well as disproving malicious complaints and lawsuits against officers for simply doing their job.

HSPD utilizes two officers for motorcycle patrol. The department owns two 2003 Harley Davidson Police Package Motorcycles. The bikes are ridden all year long except during periods of inclement weather. Their duties include working accidents; providing escorts for parades, motorcades and funerals; traffic law enforcement (each bike is equipped with traffic radar); and special events such as directing traffic for Oaklawn Park.

HSPD also utilizes bicycle patrol. This officer rides his specially equipped bicycle in the downtown district near the old part of "Downtown" near Bath House Row. He serves as a constant, visible reminder to shop owners, tourists and criminals that the police are on the job. The bicycle officer has a handheld radar unit and he also issues speeding tickets.

There is one Foot Patrol Officer assigned to the Bath House Row area. This officer walks several miles per day. He assists downtown merchants with security and safety measures and issues. He also enforces parking regulations and city ordinances.

The department is fortunate in that they have officers that have been trained in the field of Drug Recognition Expert (D.R.E). The D.R.E. can examine a suspected impaired driver for symptoms associated with different legal and illegal drugs. The D.R.E. will determine which drug the suspect is under the influence of and testify as an expert witness at trial.

School Resource Officer

There are four School Resource Officers. The officers are assigned to different schools within the city. At the beginning of the shift, the SRO will get into his police car and drive to his assigned school. Each officer maintains his own office at the school. The officers are reassigned throughout the department during periods when the schools are closed, such as summer.

After being assigned as an SRO, the officer must attend special training. The officers spent one week in Chattanooga, TN learning how to communicate with children and adults. They also attend mediation training to be better able to help solve problems that arise between the school’s faculty, children and parents. The SROs also receive a one week training class in San Diego, CA. There, they learn how to negotiate with students who pose a violent threat and other terroristic events that could, and have, happened in this state. Jonesboro, AR, March 1998 was one of the bloodiest school days ever known to Americans. Two young children stole several rifles and ammunition from one of their grandfathers. They went to their own school and set up like snipers on a nearby hill. The younger of the two "children" ran down and pulled the fire alarm. When the school evacuated, the two armed terrorists opened fire killing 4 students, one teacher and wounding ten others. The SROs are trained to recognize behaviors that tend to precede events of this nature.

The SROs work the same hours as teachers during the school year. They attend all school functions and ball games. They are in charge of security at the games and do the hiring for other officers seeking off duty employment at the games. They also attend away games and a couple of the officers even drive the school busses for out of town events.

One SRO, Frank Sears, led the Lakeside High School Bowling Team to win the State Championship in 2004.

Warrants Office

The Warrants Office consists of two people, the Warrant Officer and the Warrant Clerk. The clerk generates, enters and sends warrants via computer to a database in Little Rock, Ark. Every police officer in the country has access to the information she enters into the database. She also maintains her own, more defined database at her desk. She also receives warrants from other agencies and notices of HSPD Warrants that have been served by other agencies throughout the U.S.

Dispatch

The Hot Springs Police Department employs fourteen full time dispatchers. They are trained and recertified every two years. The dispatchers are trained on many different computers and types of equipment. They must keep track of all police officers on duty. They must assign calls by matter of emergency and route the closest and most free officer to the calls. Some of their other duties include: make business telephone calls for the officers, keep track of the weather, answer 911 emergency calls, route other emergency personnel to the scene, maintain a log of the days events and relay BOLOs from other jurisdictions to the officers.

The Arkansas Crime and Information System auditors recently inspected the HSPD Dispatch Center. The inspectors went over all logs, files and training records. HSPD scored an overall "Outstanding" on the inspection.

The dispatch supervisors must answer all Freedom of Information Requests in a timely manner. These requests are generally made by attorneys for court cases. They include radio logs, 911 logs and police radio recordings.

Services Division

With 8 officers, the Services Division is the smallest division in the department. Personnel in this division assist the media with news stories, maintain, process and keep records on evidence, train the officers, research new equipment and police trends and keep track of all the reports, tickets, hours worked, sick time, etc. for the entire department.

Public Relations Office

There are two officers assigned to the Public Relations Office. One of them concentrates on being friendly with the public by serving as a bridge between them and the police department. She coordinates the Neighborhood Watch Program throughout the city. She listens to complaints and suggestions from the public as to how the police could better deter crime in that area. Sometimes, she will get tips that lead to drug houses or wanted persons. She also visits schools and is the primary D.A.R.E. teacher inside the city limits.

The other officer spends most of his day acting as a liaison between the HSPD and the many media outlets around town and the state. He must be notified anytime an event that involves the police department might be news worthy. He must try to get the facts lined out before the phones start ringing. He is also the main officer who represents the HSPD at dinners and meetings throughout the community and state. This officer does any number of things and stays very busy keeping the public informed and happy. This is the officer that provided invaluable assistance to this magazine by spending time helping to organize all the information and pictures for this article.

Training Office

The Training Office is manned by two officers. They must maintain a training record on every officer in the department. The records must be checked and updated regularly. The training records are frequently subpoenaed to court by defendants hoping to catch an expired certification or some similar lapse or omission. These training officers are certified police instructors and conduct many of the required classes in house and on a regular basis. They are also in charge of the firearms certification process at the firing range.

Research & Planning Office

These two officers study upcoming changes in the world of law enforcement. They try to stay on the leading edge of what is now with police around the country. They study everything from bullets to car tires to officer morale and benefits. They are also in charge of vehicles and department owned property. They are in charge of ordering new equipment and the maintenance of the departments various personal computers.