BELLA VISTA -- The city new Police Chief James Graves spoke with residents at the Lakepoint Restaurant and Events Center recently.
"He seems pretty decent," Bella Vista Radio Club treasurer Marc Whittlesey said. "He's got big shoes to fill after (former chief Ken) Farmer's departure."
It was good to meet with Graves, he said, because the amateur radio club has an emergency plan and can help work with police if their normal communication channels are somehow rendered unusable.
"I love it," Graves said. "I've met a lot of folks these past few months. This was nice tonight, but it's just kind of a continuation of what I've been doing these past couple months."
Community outreach like this, he said, is already something the department has made a significant effort in, and he doesn't intend to change much of how the department operates.
"I think it's very, very important to keep that relationship with the department and the community," Graves said.
Jim Beckwith said he moved to Bella Vista about a year ago from Nebraska and he's trying to learn more about his new home, so meeting Graves was a good use of his time.
"I think James is going to do a good job," he said.
NW News on 07/01/2017