Tontitown Police Chief Named

An experienced police officer was named police chief for Tontitown.

Denny Upton was named chief by Mayor Tommy Granata on Tuesday. He will establish the Tontitown Police Department, according to a news release.

Upton has worked in two Northwest Arkansas law enforcement agencies. Upton was a Springdale police officer from 1971 until his retirement in 1995 as a lieutenant. He worked part time as a detective for the Johnson Police Department in 2000 before going full time in 2004.

Upton also has worked as a police chief in Colorado and Wyoming, according to the news release.

Upton retired as a Johnson detective in December 2011, and worked as the Johnson court clerk until he resigned Tuesday to take the Tontitown job.

Tontitown contracted with the Washington County Sheriff’s Office for law enforcement services for several years. That contract will end in March, Granata said.

“The city will move on with plans to staff the remainder of the police department, which should be functional by early March,” according to the release.

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