Two Democratic candidates competing for Pulaski County sheriff are both law enforcement veterans with differing visions for the largest sheriff's office in Arkansas.
Doc Holladay, the current sheriff, previously announced his retirement from a job that now pays $111,875 annually.
Carl Minden, a major at the sheriff's office, and Eric Higgins, retired assistant Little Rock police chief, are running to take his place. The primary, effectively election day because no other candidates have filed for the position, is May 22.
In separate interviews, Higgins emphasized the importance of community policing. Minden said he'd focus on again providing school resource officers for schools in unincorporated parts of the county.
The Pulaski County sheriff oversees about 400 sworn law enforcement officers, plus about 130 civilian personnel, for a total of about 530 people, though the number fluctuates. Holladay's staff manages a 1,210-bed jail, the largest county jail in Arkansas.
Enforcement deputies are responsible for patrolling roughly 570 square miles in unincorporated areas of Pulaski County, covering about 50,000 people. And the sheriff's office does a significant amount of work serving warrants for the Pulaski County Circuit Court.
Right now, Higgins, 52, is a volunteer instructor for The Exodus Project, which provides tools and training for men and women incarcerated in Arkansas Community Correction. He served as assistant chief of police for more than a decade and retired from the Little Rock Police Department in 2015, after a 30-year career.
With the Little Rock Police Department, Higgins rose through the ranks after initially being hired as a cadet in 1984. Letters of commendation in his personnel file praise Higgins for his care and attention. Two documents in the file note the existence of an internal affairs investigation in the early 1990s, though neither resulted in any suspension or any recorded punishment.
Higgins also previously taught criminal justice courses at Arkansas Baptist College. He is endorsed by the Little Rock Black Police Officers Association and by several prominent state legislators, including Democratic state Sens. Joyce Elliott and Linda Chesterfield, according to his website.
Speaking last week from an office at The Exodus Project headquarters, Higgins said he wants to be Pulaski County sheriff because, "I think we can do a whole lot better."
He declined to criticize specific choices made by the current administration but said his focus would be on "community policing," a strategy that focuses on building personal connections between uniformed officers and residents.
The Pulaski County sheriff's office has certain community policing policies in place. Patrol deputies are assigned to one of six districts, usually the ones closest to their home addresses. A deputy works in that district until he is promoted to administration or changes departments.
Higgins said he thinks the sheriff's office can do more. Community policing is "not just a separate program," he said, "it's a mindset for the whole agency."
Another idea Higgins mentioned is increasing partnerships with community organizations and business leaders to encourage youth programs, especially in neighborhoods that are often overlooked.
"I can tell a kid all day long to go get a job. But if there are only convenience stores and liquor stores in the community, where am I going to work?" Higgins said.
Whoever is elected will have to handle a frequently shifting roster of jail personnel. Corrections jobs have high turnover rates, and the Pulaski County jail is no different.
When describing his management strategy, Higgins said he would give people "the freedom to fail."
"By that I mean, listen to people who are doing the job and listen to some ideas they may have. And let's see what we can try to do to improve the environment. If it doesn't work, then we're back at trying to do something else."
Higgins previously said at a public debate that he believed the jail, at 3201 W. Roosevelt Road, had experienced too many deaths. According to data provided by the sheriff's office, 13 people have died in the jail or while in the custody of the sheriff's office since 2013.
Six were from suicide, five were deemed natural deaths, one was because of an injury and another was deemed an accidental overdose. To prevent future suicides, the sheriff's office finished installing indoor guardrails on the second floor in 2017.
"There's things I've seen and read that I question, 'How did this happen?'" Higgins said.
He referred specifically to a woman who suffered a fatal asthma attack in 2016 after her inhaler was confiscated. In the aftermath, the organization changed its policy on such devices.
Minden, 46, disputed that the jail experiences a high number of deaths. Though it's preferable that no one dies in jail, it's one of the "stark realities" of a correctional facility, he said, adding that a lot of people go into the unit with pre-existing medical conditions.
What's important, Minden said, is that when things go wrong and problems arise, "you solve them and solve them quickly."
Minden, who started in law enforcement in 1995 and was hired by the sheriff's office in 1998, is endorsed by Holladay, former Pulaski County Sheriff Randy Johnson, Little Rock's and North Little Rock's fraternal orders of police, and numerous other groups.
"I believe his election will continue the stability within the organization," Holladay said in an interview. Minden has "been effective in every area of responsibility that he's been given," he added.
In his 20-year career with the agency, Minden assumed many roles. Currently, he oversees criminal investigations, administrative services and media relations. Previously, he commanded the crisis negotiation unit and served as agency spokesman. He spearheaded the prescription drug take-back program, now in its ninth year, and managed the construction of the shooting range.
"I'm a big believer in setting the bar high instead of setting it low and stepping over it," Minden said, sitting at his desk, decorated with a globe collection.
Minden said one of his chief concerns as sheriff would be again providing school resource officers at the roughly 10 schools in the unincorporated parts of the county. The program was axed more than a decade ago when the county suffered severe budget cuts.
"Obviously, you see the things that are happening around the country, and you know that there's a need to have an officer readily available," Minden said. "I'm sure it's reassuring to the kids, too."
Aside from safety, school resource officers also build trust between police and local youths, he said.
"You build that bond, and hopefully those bonds lead to positive interactions the rest of their lives," Minden said. "Or if they do have a negative interaction [later on], that's not the first time they've encountered a deputy."
When asked about persistent crowding at the jail, Minden said it'd be disingenuous to act as if the next sheriff will have a simple, definitive solution. A couple of hundred beds are always occupied by state prisoners. Plus, since the State Hospital is in Little Rock, inmates ordered to undergo mental evaluations at that hospital are held at the Pulaski County jail.
"Sheriff Johnson dealt with it. Sheriff Holladay dealt with it. And the next sheriff is going to deal with it," Minden said. "It's not a solution, per se. It's management of it."
When asked why he wants to be sheriff, Minden said he's "seen a lot of good things happen in this department. And, I'm invested here."
The sheriff's office differs in responsibility from that of the Little Rock or North Little Rock police departments, he said. Deputies cover square miles, not city blocks, and often take care of more rural issues.
"Obviously we're concerned with what happens in the cities, because everything that happens in Pulaski County affects everybody, and it's important that the cities have low crime rates, as well," he said. "But the unincorporated part of Pulaski County has low crime. And that's what we're responsible for."
Metro on 04/29/2018