Police-at-wheel lets Darr use cellphone

Driver for his, public’s safety, he says

Arkansas State Police officers drive Lt. Gov. Mark Darr between his Springdale home and sites around the state so he can talk on his cellphone without endangering himself or others, Darr said this week.
Arkansas State Police officers drive Lt. Gov. Mark Darr between his Springdale home and sites around the state so he can talk on his cellphone without endangering himself or others, Darr said this week.

Arkansas State Police officers drive Lt. Gov. Mark Darr between his Springdale home and sites around the state so he can talk on his cellphone without endangering himself or others, Darr said this week.

Since ending his bid for Congress in August, the Republican politician has been chauffeured at least four times on long-distance trips at taxpayer expense.

In one instance, a state police officer drove Darr and Darr’s son roughly 240 miles from Springdale to Jefferson County so Darr could do the coin toss before a high school football game.

Afterward, Darr was flown home in a state-owned airplane at taxpayer expense.

The travel assistance helps Darr journey safely and efficiently, he said.

“Occasionally, in my capacity as Lt. Gov., I speak to individuals via phone on trips,” Darr wrote this week in response to written questions submitted by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. “There are times when I choose not to drive while speaking on my cellphone for safety reasons and for economy of time. Therefore at times, I utilize the ASP for transportation.”

As to whether the cellphone conversations are related to state business, Darr spokesman Amber Pool said neither she nor Darr know because “our office doesn’t keep records of the subject matters of Lieutenant Gov. Darr’s phone conversations.”

On Thursday, Darr called this newspaper’s questions about his use of the state police “a little ridiculous” in a brief telephone interview and said he uses the state police only to transport him for state business.

“I don’t determine which method they transport me. That’s up to them,” he said.

Like the governor, Darr said, he could ask for a state police officer to always be parked outside his home, as allowed under state law, but he doesn’t.

As the state’s lieutenant governor, Darr’s duties include presiding over the state Senate and serving as acting governor when the governor is out of state. He has been in the position since 2011.

On Aug. 29, Darr abandoned his bid for the Republican nomination in the 4th Congressional District - more than a week after lawyer and liberal blogger Matt Campbell questioned several thousand dollars in expenses reported on Darr’s campaign-finance reports.

The state Ethics Commission is investigating Darr’s spending while in office and while he was a 2010 candidate in response to complaints filed by Campbell and Darr himself.

Darr filed the ethics complaint against himself, saying he hadn’t run for office before and he made mistakes on his campaign-finance reports and that he “had no malice intent.”

The agency will determine whether Darr violated nine laws by reportedly using campaign funds as personal income; raising campaign funds at inappropriate times; and using his office, telephone and state-issued credit cards in his efforts to retire his campaign debt from 2010, according to the commission.

On Thursday, Darr again declined to explain why he repaid more than $3,300 to the state, U.S. Bank and Exxon Mobil Corp. in 2011 and 2012 or say whether he used a state credit card to pay for his gas on trips while also billing taxpayers for the mileage. He said that’s part of the ethics complaint filed by Campbell against him, and he’ll respond to the Ethics Commission.

According to information provided by Pool, Darr requested and received transportation from the Arkansas State Police on the following days for the following purposes:

Ground transportation on Sept. 3 from Springdale to Pine Bluff after he was asked to attend a high school football game, sponsored by the publication Hootens, at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. State police spokesman Bill Sadler said the state police drove Darr and his son to Pine Bluff and a state police Cessna 206 flew them back home to Springdale at an operating cost of $342.20 for fuel.

Ground transportation on Oct. 3 from Springdale to Heber Springs and back to attend the 50th anniversary dedication of the Greers Ferry Dam in Heber Springs.

Ground transportation on Oct. 17 from Springdale to Little Rock to attend the special legislative session aimed at fixing the financially ailing health-insurance plan for public-school employees. State Police returned Darr to Springdale the next day. The session ended Oct. 19 shortly after midnight.

Ground transportation on Oct. 24 from Springdale to Little Rock and back to attend an Arkansas Game and Fish Commission meeting. Darr presented a citation honoring wildlife officer Joel Campora, who drowned in May while assisting victims of an overnight flash flood in Scott County.

Under Arkansas Code Annotated 12-8-108, the Arkansas State Police “shall be responsible for the safety and security of the … lieutenant governor and his family” and is authorized to assign officers “in such numbers and to such locations as is necessary to carry out the responsibility imposed … by this section,” Pool noted.

That provision of state law also requires the Arkansas State Police to be responsible for the safety and security of the governor and his family, the Governor’s Mansion and its grounds, and the state Capitol building and its grounds.

Sadler said the state police agency also has provided transportation on occasion for the past few lieutenant governors.

The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette asked Darr’s office about his use of state police for transportation to his home and back during the past week, after the Arkansas Times raised questions last week about his use of state police.

The Arkansas State Police also drove Darr from Little Rock to Springdale on Feb. 21 in inclement weather during the Legislature’s regular session, according to Sadler. Without state police assistance, Darr returned to Little Rock the next day to sign legislation exempting all information about holders of concealed-weapon permits from disclosure under the state’s Freedom of Information Act, according to Sadler.

Darr signed the bill while Democratic Gov. Mike Beebe was attending a meeting of the National Governors Association in Washington, D.C., and his action irked Beebe, who had said he had intended to let the measure become law without his signature.

Beebe declined through his spokesman, Matt DeCample, to comment about Darr’s use of the state police.

Darr normally leaves a pickup in his parking space at the state Capitol. Asked whether his truck had broken down, requiring him to get state police transportation for any of these events, Darr wrote in response, “No, but thanks for your concern.”

Front Section, Pages 1 on 11/01/2013

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