An ordinance that would require officers with the Little Rock Police Department to reside within the city is to eventually be presented to the Little Rock Board of Directors.
Toney Orr, a community activist, says having police live in Little Rock would help them connect with the communities they serve.
“By allowing police officers to live in other cities and work in Little Rock, it’s really not a community feel,” says Orr. “When you can see a police officer in your neighborhood, it helps alleviate crime, it helps the relationship between the community and police officers… It goes back to the motto of the Police Department, ‘to serve and protect.’ When you’re going to serve and protect, you have to know who you’re serving and who you’re protecting. If you’re not involved in that community, how can you truly serve and protect?”
The ordinance was previously proposed by Board of Directors member Erma Hendrix in June of 2015 but did not pass. Hendrix says the ordinance would be presented to the Board of Directors before the November elections.