- University News Archive - ��Vlog��ý Little Rock

- University News Archive - ��Vlog��ý Little Rock /news-archive/tag/regina-wade-carter/ ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Wed, 08 Dec 2021 22:57:42 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Police Department Earns Accreditation /news-archive/2021/12/08/police-accreditation/ Wed, 08 Dec 2021 22:57:42 +0000 /news/?p=80534 ...]]> The program is a voluntary process where police agencies in Arkansas prove their compliance with Arkansas law enforcement’s current best practices and standards. The standards were carefully developed by Arkansas law enforcement professionals to assist agencies in the efficient and effective delivery of service and the protection of individual’s rights. “Chief King started this, and Chief Wade-Carter completed this,” said Gary Sipes, executive director of the Arkansas Association of Chiefs of Police. “We are very proud of your accomplishment. This tells your university and community that their department is following the best practices and protecting the individual rights of your community members.” The accreditation makes ��Vlog��ý Little Rock the third campus police department in the state to earn accreditation, including the University of Central Arkansas and the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville. “This process has been a long time in the making for the department, and I can honestly say it’s an awesome feeling now that we are officially accredited,” said Regina Wade-Carter, police chief and associate vice chancellor for public safety. “In the days and times that we are living in now, we need this accreditation in law enforcement. It’s about showing the public that we are holding ourselves to a higher standard.” To earn accreditation, ��Vlog��ý Little Rock had to be in compliance with 188 policies, procedures, and best practices for law enforcement officers in Arkansas. Assistant Chief Rommel Benjamin oversaw the process and served as the department’s accreditation manager. “Chief Carter’s faith in my abilities to be tasked with this endeavor and my faith in the employees and supervisors within the department all led to achieving accreditation,” Benjamin said. “Finally, the most important of all is the campus community’s faith in the department to provide the best police service possible through the guidance of the accreditation program.” Chief Wade-Carter also thanked former Chief Brad King, who started the accreditation process, and the 29 employees of the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Police Department for their hard work in completing this achievement. “Chief King started the process. Without him and the men and women of the university police department, this couldn’t have happened,” Wade-Carter said. “Assistant Chief Johnny Smith, who leads the patrol division, also stepped up in making sure we stayed on task. This was a commitment we all made when we decided to go through this intense process, and, in doing so, we knew this would make us a more stronger department.” In the upper right photo, Pictured, from left to right, are ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Assistant Police Chief Rommel Benjamin; ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Former Police Chief Brad King; ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Police Chief Regina Wade-Carter; Dr. Jerry Ganz, vice chancellor for finance and administration; and Gary Sipes, executive director of the Arkansas Association of Chiefs of Police. Photo by Angie Faller.]]> GRAD��Vlog��ýTE STUDENT SPOTLIGHT ON PARKER LEHNEN /news-archive/2021/05/25/parker-lehnen-commencement/ Tue, 25 May 2021 14:10:29 +0000 /news/?p=79105 ...]]> Parker Lehnen, a native of Van Buren, Arkansas, graduated this semester with a bachelor’s degree in applied communication. He eventually wants to work in higher education so he can advocate for students with disabilities. He also aspires to speak at conferences on Autism awareness. Tell us a little bit about yourself. I’m adopted, and I have two sisters who were adopted as well. I’ve lived in Van Buren all of my life. My family owns and operates Paul’s Bakery which has been in the family for over 65 years. It’s a tourist attraction in Arkansas. Tennis is one of my passions. I have a USTA intermediate ranking and play every day. I have over 13 years of experience on the courts. I have a passion to become a better person. Right now, I’m reading “Emotional Intelligence” by Daniel Goleman. In this book, the author emphasizes that emotional intelligence is as important as IQ for achieving success in one’s personal and professional life. I am also looking for the next project in my search on autism. You were diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome at 10 years old and were told you wouldn’t lead a normal life. What was that like and how did you overcome it? This was so hard for my mother. When the doctor told me I wouldn’t live a normal life, it was like putting handcuffs on me. They might as well have said I would never be successful. My mother, psychologists, and counselors were committed to helping me. Unfortunately, I was the weird kid in high school and the target of bullying. People with disabilities are an easy target for bullies. I’ve learned how to hold my own now, and address bullies with communication instead of confrontation. I want to inspire others with disabilities to stand up for themselves because they are “perfectly imperfect.” Why did you choose ��Vlog��ý Little Rock? I considered going to ��Vlog��ý Fayetteville, but ��Vlog��ý Little Rock spoke out to me because of the diversity of central Arkansas. Little Rock has allowed me to expand my horizons, and I love the variety of cultures, food, and things to do. There are more interesting things to do in Little Rock than in northwest Arkansas. Central Arkansas is my home away from home. Why did you switch your major from business to applied communication? At first, I wanted to major in business with an emphasis on human resources. This interested me because my family owns and operates a business. However, I later realized that human resources just was not the right fit for me. Then I took Professor Cheryl Johnston’s Intro to Communication class. This changed everything! It influenced my decision to change my major to Applied Communication, and it changed my life. I feel like I’m a better person and communicator because I have Asperger’s. I never knew that my autism would make me an amazing speaker. What is your advice for people with autism? My advice is to talk with your parents. Talk to them about your goals and write them down. Reach out to your high school counselor and to college faculty. I always had conversations with my teachers either in person, email, or Facetime. Volunteer in organizations to help your communication skills. Communication skills are the foundation of almost everything. Autism is something that should never hinder your success. You should treat it like a fashion statement and rock it! Tell us about some of your favorite courses. Abnormal psychology, the study of psychological behaviors, helped me understand more about autism. I also enjoyed a class called persuasive presentations. This teaches you how to persuade an audience with a thesis statement. My presentation was on why Daylight Savings Time should be abolished. There’s lots of research to support this. Think about it. Losing an hour of sleep is bad and affects your health. Who were some of your mentors? Regina Wade-Carter, ��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s chief of police, saved my life. I was having thoughts of suicide and had to go to the hospital to get a psychological evaluation. When I got back, Regina and Captain Aaron Birmingham checked on me often. Regina treated me like one of her children, and it motivated me to get better. Former Vice Provost and Dean of Students Dr. Brad Patterson has also been an incredible influence for me. Dr. April Chatham-Carter has been amazing as well along with all professors and staff of the Department of Applied Communication. You mentioned that you would like to work in higher education. What do you want to do? I would like to work in student affairs so I can inspire students with disabilities to see that they have a place on campus. I’d like to encourage student organizations to include students with disabilities. Students need to know that we’re all in this world together, and we can’t be judgemental. I’m interested in diversity in communication, gender equity, disabilities, and cultures of the world. And I would love to be the chancellor or vice chancellor of ��Vlog��ý Little Rock one day. Do you have any advice for future students? Make sure you major in something you are interested in. If it is something you enjoy, you’ll do well at it. Motivation comes from your skills. Use that to drive your success in college. We need to inspire future generations with positive communication. I’m a diamond in the rough, and I’d like to show people how successful I’ve been at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock. Afterall, Arkansas is the diamond state! This graduate profile was compiled by Toni Boyer.]]> Thompson Describes Life as ‘Triple Threat’ of being a Black Female Police Officer /news-archive/2021/03/02/thompson-triple-threat/ Tue, 02 Mar 2021 21:19:48 +0000 /news/?p=78462 ...]]> Throughout almost three decades in law enforcement, Sgt. Marilyn Thompson has often felt conflicted about how gender and race have impacted her career as a police officer. “I’m a triple threat. Being a female is a threat. Being Black is a threat, and being a police officer in a threat,” Thompson said. While attending leadership training classes at the University of Arkansas Criminal Justice Institute, Thompson compiled her personal experiences and relevant research into an academic paper. “The paper dealt with the things I had to go through when I started in law enforcement,” Thompson said. “Things are better, but I had to deal with a lot of things in the police department, racism, and sexism. It resonated that I needed to write about what I had experienced.” Though her paper, “,” was published a few years ago, the subject has found new relevance in the wake of national protests around the country. Her story has been told recently in and other media outlets. Thompson has received positive feedback from fellow police officers who see themselves in her story. “I got feedback from a lot of females who are captains and chiefs. When they saw that article with The Trace, it got close to home,” Thompson said. “The people who are contacting me are saying they are glad someone was daring enough to tell our story.” Thompson’s research has shown that more women, particularly Black women, can be advantageous to police forces. While women police officers still face discrimination and bias, they are often better at de-escalating dangerous situations and show sensitivity while working with diverse communities. “It would benefit the police to have more female police officers overall,” Thompson said. One of the young student patrol officers whom Thompson mentored in her early days on the university police force now serves as the police chief, Regina Wade-Carter. “I was actually finishing up my undergraduate degree on the student patrol division, and she just took me under her wing and mentored me,” Wade-Carter said. “Sgt. Thompson knew it was my senior year at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, and I told her my career goals. She guided me through the whole process of working at the campus police department, and she always told me education was the key. It was good to hear that from another black female. She was just trying to make a difference in people’s lives.” The ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Police Department has 26 police officers with about nine women and 20 Black officers and additional staff members. “You don’t often find as diverse a department as we have in the South,” Wade-Carter said. “Besides me, Sgt. Thompson is the only African American female that has rank in the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Police Department. She’s the only female sergeant and the only African American one as well. It’s hard to find a particular department with that kind of diversity, and I take pride in that. I know Sgt. Thompson has had offers to go other places, but she’s stayed because of the diversity and makeup of the department and what she has contributed.” Even though many people in her family distrust the police, Thompson had positive experiences with police officers from a young age. “In the African American community I grew up with, there was a general distrust of police officers, but I never had that, even when a police officer took my dad to jail when he hit my mom,” Thompson said. “He told me that he was taking my dad to keep my parents safe, and he would bring him back. I was 4.” Another interaction with a place officer came when Thompson was 10, and an older cousin said they could make some money by gathering some crates from a nearby construction site. A police officer drove up and explained that Thompson was stealing, something she hadn’t understood from her cousin’s explanation. The police officer gave Thompson a dollar and told her not to do it again. Thompson decided to become a police officer while attending college. Originally a computer science and accounting major at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, Thompson realized she didn’t enjoy studying these subjects. During a career fair, she spoke with a recruiter from the Dallas Police Department and then switched her major to criminal justice the very next day. Thompson graduated from ��Vlog��ý Little Rock in 1989 with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and a minor in psychology. She graduated from the Little Rock Police Academy in 1990, one of only three black women and seven women altogether in the class of 40. A little after a year with the Little Rock Police Department, Thompson was in a car accident that badly injured both her knees. When she was ready to return to work over a year later, a friend told her about the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Police Department. Thompson joined in 1994 and is now celebrating her 27th year on the job. “I love what I do,” Thompson said. “I love helping people. I love seeing a light in someone’s eyes. I’ve been doing it for 30 years.” Around campus, Thompson is known for her community-oriented policing style. She is well known by students and employees alike and often leads workshops on campus safety and women in law enforcement. “Sgt. Thompson is dedicated to her craft,” Wade-Carter said. “She takes her position seriously, and she is well loved and respected in the community, not just on campus but in the surrounding neighborhoods that we patrol. She cares and it’s genuine and people can see that. She will go out of her way to help an individual in need.” In 2016, Thompson was named the university’s Police Officer of the Year. She has also been honored for her participation in the Drug Enforcement Agency’s National Prescription Drug Take Back program. In 2018, Thompson was one of five ��Vlog��ý Little Rock police officers honored for their part in saving the life of a man found unresponsive in his vehicle. When asked about how to improve relations between police and the community, Thompson said that better recruiting and training can make a big difference. “It takes a lifetime to build a good reputation, but it only takes a few seconds to tear it down,” Thompson said. “We got to do better recruiting and better training in the police academy, so you can weed them out before they get on the street. Then you wouldn’t see cases like George Floyd and Breonna Taylor.”]]> Women to Watch at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock: Regina Wade-Carter /news-archive/2020/03/20/women-to-watch-regina-wade-carter/ Fri, 20 Mar 2020 13:41:22 +0000 /news/?p=76417 ...]]> Q. Tell me about yourself. You won’t find too many people in my position that have as diverse a background as me. I started out in housing at Henderson State University. I was 19 and working as an assistant hall director for an all-female dorm. When I came to ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, Jim Hendley was the chief here and hired me to be a relief dispatcher as I was finishing my undergraduate degree. I’ve also worked in Admissions and Financial Aid, and I’ve served as the interim registrar twice at this university. I’ve also served as adjunct faculty on this campus teaching sociology classes. While I was in the registrar’s office, I was maintaining my auxiliary police officer certification. The million dollar question is how I became chief. Dr. Joel Anderson and Dr. Bob Adams asked me to be interim chief, and I did that for almost a year. At the same time, my son was in junior high, and I felt that I wasn’t ready to be a full-time chief. I went back to work in the registrar’s office. A year and a half later, I got the call again to come back and be interim chief. I was offered the job on a full-time basis in 2014, and I’ve been here ever since. I’ve got one son, Joseph Carter Jr., who will graduate this May from the University of Arkansas and then he will be attending graduate school. I’m so proud of him. This young man has been maintaining an almost 4.0 GPA the whole time. People like to say I’m the first African American female police chief on campus, but I don’t like to look at it that way. God put me in the position where I needed to be, and he put certain people along the way to steer me in the right direction. Q. How did you arrive at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock? I transferred here my senior year in college. I was a senior at Henderson State, and I got married. My husband was working in the Secretary of State’s office. I decided the commute was too much, and I decided to come to ��Vlog��ý Little Rock. I have an undergraduate degree from here in political science. I also have a master’s degree in public administration. I owe everything to Dr. David Sink and Dr. Jerry Stevenson. They were both excellent professors in the MPA program. Q. What does ��Vlog��ý Little Rock mean to you? I wasn’t born in Little Rock, but I was raised in Little Rock. I was raised right here on 29th Street. This campus was my playground growing up. This campus is a part of me. I take pride in it. I’ve had opportunities to go somewhere else, but this is my home. My son was mostly raised on this campus as well. Those are memories I will have the rest of my life. I’m ��Vlog��ý Little Rock. I got my undergrad and my master’s degree here. This is my home. I love Little Rock, and this is the anchor for the city. Q. What is your current position at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock? What are your duties? As ��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s chief of police, I oversee the daily operations of the university police department. We have a staff of 43 personnel, including officers, communications, and dispatchers. I have briefings every morning with my command staff, have briefings with my communications department to see what type of calls came in, overseeing the budget, overseeing our criminal investigations division, and overseeing parking operations for the campus. Basically I oversee all planning, organizing, directing, and evaluating the activities of the department, including providing a safe and secure environment for all students, faculty, staff, and visitors. Q. How would you describe your leadership style? I see myself as the players’ coach. I’ve always prided myself in knowing every operation in the department because I’ve done it before. I won’t ask my staff to do anything I haven’t done before. I’m very entrenched in the day-to-day operations of the department. My officers and dispatchers know they can rely on me, so I try to lead by example. Q. As a female leader, what has been the most significant barrier in your career? I won’t say I’ve had barriers in my career, although I had to set a certain bar for myself and maintain that bar. I’ve had some good people in my life that have steered me in the right direction. Dr. Joel Anderson, Dr. Bob Adams, and Ms. Sandra Dannaway gave me an opportunity, and I’m grateful for that. I’ve had supervisors that have backed me 100 percent. This university has been good for me. I see myself as opening the door for someone else to follow in my footsteps in the future. My ultimate goal is to one day be a vice chancellor for student affairs. I have one young lady in the department who I’m very proud of. She asked me to be her mentor, and that opened up my heart so big. She’s said she wants to be where I’m at. I told her don’t aspire to be where I’m at; I want you to be farther than where I’m at. One thing I didn’t realize is how many people are watching and how many lives I have touched on campus. People still remember me from Financial Aid and Records and Registration. I love watching those kids cross the stage on graduation. It just wraps everything together. Q. What woman has inspired you the most and why? I can say my mom has inspired me the most. One thing she’s always told me since I was a little girl; You never let anyone define you. That has been my concept in life. She has instilled in me that education is the key. No one can take your education away from you no matter what. My mom is the oldest of six children. She turned down the opportunity to go to college to help her mom and stepfather rear up the rest of the kids. I take admiration from that. Under her leadership, every last one of her brothers and sisters attended college and graduated except for one. I just can’t say enough about my mom. She’s my rock. Q. What advice would you give to the next generation of female leaders? Never give up on your dream. Whatever you set your mind to do, do it. You will have obstacles along the way, but you’ve got to work through those obstacles. I could have derailed my dreams by a comment that was made to me when I was 6, and a teacher, during a parent-teacher conference, told my mom that I could not be taught. The principal was there and told my mom that we are going to get Regina where she needs to be. I went to another teacher in another class, and I flourished. That is when my mom made that comment to me; You never let anyone define who you are. That is what I would tell any woman who is trying to go through the ranks in leadership. Don’t let anyone define who you are. You are in control of your own destiny. Look where I am now. The sky’s the limit on what you can do. I don’t believe in a glass ceiling either. I’m going to kick that glass ceiling out. Q. Name something about yourself that most people would be surprised to learn. Believe it or not, but in some ways I’m kind of an introvert, and some people would not believe that. Sometimes, I have to step back and have some alone time and quiet time to focus and to determine what my game plan will be. On the outside, I’m a people person, but I’m also an introvert. Q. What’s one leadership lesson you’ve learned in your career? You can’t do everything by yourself. I learned that years ago, but I learned it the hard way. It’s a team effort. I believe in surrounding myself with people that have the knowledge and skillset that can help promote the department. It takes a village to help run any department correctly.]]> Faculty and staff lead in giving to ��Vlog��ý Little Rock /news-archive/2019/03/08/faculty-staff-giving/ Fri, 08 Mar 2019 20:22:33 +0000 /news/?p=73662 ...]]> Faculty and staff at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock have once again surpassed the national average for faculty and staff giving with the 2018 ALL IN Campus Campaign. Last year, more than 700 faculty and staff members – 46 percent of all employees – contributed to the campaign. Faculty and staff giving is important to the university’s overall fundraising efforts because foundations and corporations look for a high percentage of employee giving when making funding decisions. The national average for faculty and staff giving is 25 percent. “The level of support received from our faculty and staff members inspires,” said Christian O’Neal, vice chancellor for university advancement. “I cannot express how grateful I am to serve with faculty and staff members who show their support.” With the Campus Campaign, the emphasis is on participation rather than dollar amounts.

“Each gift, whether $1 or $1,000, is truly significant,” said Samantha Wiley, director of annual giving. Funds raised through the annual Campus Campaign provide funding for programs, department and scholarships. “As a faculty member and parent of a ��Vlog��ý Little Rock alum, I’ve witnessed the impact first-hand that these scholarships can have on a student’s success,” said Tom Clifton, chair of the Department of Art and Design and a Campus Campaign steering committee member. “I think it’s important that we commit to the university as we ask others to do so.” Aresh Assadi, another member of the Campus Campaign steering committee, said the level of faculty and staff participation is a point of pride for the university. “As a first-generation student who has benefited immensely from receiving a college education, I am happy to be a part of this steering committee,” he said. “I believe that we are raising money for a great cause, and it has been incredibly heartwarming to witness the commitment that our faculty and staff have for our students. The internal giving rate at this campus is much higher than most.” Recurring payroll deductions increased by 2 percent in 2018 over 2017. Additionally, the Office of Alumni and Development received several new planned giving commitments which will benefit students in perpetuity.

Campus Departments with 100 percent participation in the campaign received commemorative ��Vlog��ý Little Rock water bottles provided by the alumni association. They are as follows: Alumni and Development, Budget Office, Business Micro Computer Lab, College of Education and Health Professions Advising and Support Center, College of Arts Letters and Sciences Dean’s Office, College of Engineering and Information Technology Dean’s Office, Jodie Mahony Center for Gifted Education, Mail Services, Office of Military Student Success, Office of Title IX, Study Abroad, ��Vlog��ý Little Rock STEM Center, and University Affairs. Members of the Campus Campaign Steering Committee included JR Andrews, Aresh Assadi, Dr. Greg Barrett, Tyson Baldwin, Regina Wade-Carter, Tom Clifton, Shawana Diaz, Dr. Christina Drale, Cassie Gehring, Keli Jacobi, Joni Lee, Darrell Morrison, Ashley Nipp, Dr. Mary Parker, Michael Singleton, Linda Stipsky, and Samantha Wiley. Employees who work in the Jodie Mahoney Center for Gifted Education (top right), College of Engineering and Information Technology Dean’s Office (above left) , and Mail Services (bottom right) all have 100 percent participation in the 2018 Campus Campaign. ]]> ��Vlog��ý Little Rock police department starts community liaison officer program /news-archive/2018/11/21/community-liaison-officer-program/ Wed, 21 Nov 2018 14:10:20 +0000 /news/?p=72718 ...]]> The University of Arkansas at Little Rock Police Department is hoping to make long-lasting connections with the campus community and surrounding neighborhoods with the start of a community liaison officer program. The community liaison officers will provide safety and security programming, answer questions about law enforcement, anticipate community concerns, and address safety issues. This is a volunteer program that will be run by Assistant Police Chief Benjamin Rommel. Patrolmen Gavin Hurst and Roy Mayo will serve as community liaison officers, while Corp. Gary McGee will serve as the campus housing liaison officer. “The goal of the program is for the community to see the police officers and for the officers to explain campus law enforcement practices and to see to the community’s concerns,” Rommel said. The ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Police Department is actively involved in the community by participating in the National Drug Take Back program and by providing self-defense, Rape Aggression Defense (RAD), and active-shooter training. “Chief Regina Wade-Carter has wanted the department to do more community outreach for a while,” Rommel said. “It takes a special person to put their life on the line. We are hoping by us actively stepping out there and meeting people, it will convince them that we are here to help. We do have knowledge of the university and know about the university’s resources.” Hurst, a former sheriff’s deputy, said he was inspired to volunteer for the community liaison officer program after seeing how well community outreach worked when he was at the Marion County Sheriff’s Office. “Law enforcement needs to be more proactive in the community that it is involved in,” Hurst said. “I think it would be good for the community and good for students to know why we are here. We are here to help them and protect them. Even if they are down about their classes, they can always call us to ask for help.” Hurst said he would like to start programs that allow community members more opportunities to get to know the campus police officers and what they do, such as Coffee with a Cop and police ride-alongs. McGee, who has worked as the community housing officer, enjoys being a source of knowledge to students who have questions about law enforcement. “I am connected with this community in numerous ways,” McGee said. “I used to live in University Village, so I had a unique perspective living with the students. It’s become second nature to me to be able to give what knowledge I have in different subjects. “Law enforcement is mostly reactive. This community liaison program will bring more of a proactive approach. There is a lot of mistrust with law enforcement. We don’t have that big of an issue on campus, but we still want to earn trust in the community.” For more information on the community liaison officer program, contact Rommel at rsbenjamin@ualr.edu. In the upper right photo, a new ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Campus Police community liaison officer program is headed up by Assistant Police Chief Benjamin Rommel, center. Patrolmen Gavin Hurst, left, will serve as a community liaison officer, while Corp. Gary McGee, right, will serve as the campus housing liaison officer. Photo by Ben Krain.]]> Assistant Chief Smith becomes first ��Vlog��ý Little Rock officer to complete FBI National Academy /news-archive/2018/02/14/assistant-chief-smith-becomes-first-ua-little-rock-officer-complete-fbi-national-academy/ Wed, 14 Feb 2018 22:49:32 +0000 /news/?p=69411 ...]]> After 23 years on the job, Assistant Chief Johnny Smith, 52, of Little Rock, has become a familiar presence on campus, earning the moniker of “Officer Friendly” for his upbeat, polite attitude while protecting the university community. “I love the environment, the community, and the students, faculty, and staff at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock,” he said. “I have students that have come back after 20 years and ask if I am still here. The students sometimes call me Officer Friendly because that is how we treat everybody. The place has become home.” Smith has become the first police officer from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock to complete the prestigious , a professional course of study for U.S. and international law enforcement managers nominated by their agency heads because of demonstrated leadership qualities. President Donald Trump gave the commencement speech at his Dec. 15, 2017, graduation ceremony at the Marine Corps Base in Quantico, Virginia. The 11-week program—which provides coursework in intelligence theory, terrorism and terrorist mindsets, management science, law, behavioral science, law enforcement communication, and forensic science—serves to improve the administration of justice in police departments and agencies at home and abroad and to raise law enforcement standards, knowledge, and cooperation worldwide. “It was a privilege and honor for me to nominate Assistant Chief Johnny Smith to attend the FBI National Academy,” Chief Regina Carter said. “My goal when I was appointed as chief was to make sure our department gets the recognition it deserves and to make sure my officers achieve the level of success that I know they have within them. Smith is bringing back strong leadership skills that he learned at the academy and some new training that we can implement at the organizational level.” Smith is thankful to Carter for the opportunity to attend the FBI National Academy. “Chief Carter is dedicated to making sure the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Police Department is up to date with the latest training,” Smith said. “She is always supportive of officers being trained to the best of their abilities and encourages us to bring that training back to share with the community. She herself has attended the Arkansas Leader Training Program, which is the prerequisite to going to the FBI National Academy. Chief Carter and I have known each other for more than 20 years, and I couldn’t ask for a better chief.” Smith has served with the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Police Department since 1994, and he is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice as well. Smith is married and the father of two sons. He began his career in law enforcement as a cadet with the Little Rock Police Department in 1984 and 1985 and later worked as an officer with the Wrightsville Police Department from 1990 to 1994. “The FBI Academy is one of the biggest accomplishments that any law enforcement supervisor can receive,” Smith said. “I have been on the waiting list for four years. Only two people from Arkansas get selected out of the entire state to attend the academy.” Smith earned 17 college credits at the academy and learned skills in leadership, public speaking, media relations, leading at-risk employees, and fitness in law enforcement, even developing a physical fitness and nutrition program for the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Police Department. Smith’s fondest memories come from completion of the final test of the academy. Known as the “Yellow Brick Road,” the fitness test is a grueling 6.1-mile run through a hilly, wooded trail built by the Marines. Along the way, the participants must climb over walls, run through creeks, jump through simulated windows, scale rock faces with ropes, crawl under barbed wire in muddy water, and maneuver across a cargo net. When (and if) the students complete this difficult test, they receive an actual yellow brick to memorialize their achievement. “The week before the challenge, I hurt my knee playing water polo,” Smith said. “It had swollen to a huge size, but nobody was going to stop me from running the Yellow Brick Road. I was in a lot of pain, but I was determined to do it. One guy broke his ankle but still completed the course. It’s just that important.” The greatest asset Smith received from his time at the FBI National Academy is the friendships he built with his graduating class. “The academy had 224 men and women from the U.S. and 24 men and women from other countries,” he said. “They are like brothers and sisters for life. There were 17 university police chiefs there that I can ask for advice. I now have friends in different states and agencies. It’s a great tool.” Following graduation, each officer has the opportunity to join the FBI National Academy Associates, Inc., a dynamic organization of more than 16,000 law enforcement professionals who actively work to continue developing higher levels of competency, cooperation, and integrity across the law enforcement community. Now back in Little Rock, Smith is looking forward to implementing the skills he learned at the FBI National Academy to better serve the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock community. “This is what it is all about, to take all the leadership skills and training we learned and to bring it back,” he said. “It makes you a better leader and gives you better training so you can train your supervisors to be better. It gives you tools you can use to be a better law enforcement provider. I’m proud to be a ��Vlog��ý Little Rock police officer,” Smith said. “I enjoy being out here. I will continue to serve, and I look forward to making our police department and community better and safer.” ]]> Five ��Vlog��ý Little Rock police officers honored for saving man’s life /news-archive/2018/02/08/police-officers-ua-little-rock/ Thu, 08 Feb 2018 17:54:10 +0000 /news/?p=69311 ...]]> The University of Arkansas at Little Rock honored five police officers during a Feb. 2 ceremony for their part in saving the life of a man found unresponsive in his vehicle. “I am proud to say I belong to the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Police Department,” Police Chief Regina Wade-Carter said. “We have a great group of police officers.” On Jan. 2, Cpl. Gary McGee and Officer John Claunch responded to a call that a man was found slumped over in his vehicle in East Hall Loop, just off Fair Park Boulevard. “The man was unresponsive, and the vehicle was still in drive,” Claunch said. “We put the car in park, got the man out, and immediately started CPR until MEMS (Metropolitan Emergency Medical Services) arrived approximately 20 minutes later. I saw the man turn three different colors over the course of CPR. To hear that he survived was great.” While Claunch was happy to do his role in saving the man’s life, he called his partner, McGee, the “real hero of the day” for performing CPR on the man for at least 15 minutes until Det. Tonya Carter took over. “I just wanted him to breathe,” McGee said. “Even though there was no pulse, I never looked at him as being dead. I needed to help him come back to the living.” McGee, who had been taken back to the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Department of Public Safety to rest after performing CPR, did not learn of the victim’s fate until he received a phone call from Assistant Chief John Smith. “I watched the young man come back to life. I heard one of the MEMS people say that, ‘Whoever worked on him, that is why this young man is still alive,'” Smith said. “I called McGee and said, ‘He is not dead. You saved his life. I am so proud of you.'” McGee recalls crying after receiving the happy news. “I was very happy,” McGee said. “I thanked God. I am glad that the man was okay, and I am grateful for my shift and the other people I work with. I’ve got a good team.” In addition to McGee and Claunch, Det. Tonya Carter, Sgt. Marilyn Thompson, and Officer Deshalay Hubbard also received commendations for helping save the man’s life. Thompson took command of the scene while Carter took over CPR for McGee, and Hubbard used a defibrillator on the man. “Most people probably would have given up, but today we recognize the men and women who go beyond the call of duty, who put themselves at risk to save another’s life,” Smith said. “We honor you because you give us hope.” In the upper right photo, ��Vlog��ý Little Rock police officers receive a commendation during a Feb. 2 ceremony for their heroic efforts to save a man’s life during a Jan. 2 call. Back row (L to R) include Lt. Jerome Bailey, Officer John Claunch, Cpl. Gary McGee, Lt. Aaron Birmingham, Chief Regina Wade-Carter, and Assistant Chief Johnny Smith. Front row (L to R) include Det. Tonya Carter, Sgt. Marilyn Thompson, and Officer Deshalay Hubbard. Photo by Marisa Perry.]]>