Bryant has received 20 applications for police chief and Mayor Allen Scott said he hopes to hire a police chief by the end of March.
The applicants include law enforcement officials with the state police, Little Rock and Pulaski County.
Scott said he has established a concrete system for choosing a chief and he will continue accepting applications until the time he hires someone.
On Tuesday, Scott announced a committee that will review the applications and narrow the candidates to about four people. From there, Scott will speak further with the applicants and select a chief out of that pool.
"This is the proper way to do it, I think," Scott said.
In the meantime, Capt. JW Plouch is serving as the interim chief.
Plouch is a 20-year veteran with the department, according to a previous Arkansas Democrat-Gazette article. He is applying for the position.
"Our acting police chief that we've got right now, I think, is exceptional," City Council Member Butch Higginbotham said.
Higginbotham described Plouch as conscious of safety issues in Bryant and well aware of the city's goals for the future. City Council Member RJ Hawk said Plouch has done a great job reaching out to Bryant residents, particularly through social media. Higginbotham has also appreciated Plouch's involvement in Bryant events, he said.
"That's something that's important to me," Higginbotham said. "Somebody that's really in tune to what Bryant is and what Bryant needs."
City Council Member Rob Roedel said that while the city continues to grow, the people will need a police chief who will develop safety strategies that respond to the influx.
Between 2010 and 2017, the city grew by 3,506 people -- an approximately 21 percent increase, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Also in 2017, the FBI reported that Bryant had 59 violent crimes for its population of more than 20,000 people.
Cities of similar sizes showed higher numbers of violent crimes in the same year. Van Buren, with a population of approximately 23,000, had 97 violent crimes. El Dorado with about 18,000 people had 206.
The starting salary for the police chief position is $71,351, said Charlotte Rue, the city director of human resources.
Previous Police Chief Mark Kizer received a letter terminating his services in December and left the position before the end of the month, according to the city. Then-Mayor Jill Dabbs decided to do so because Scott said that he planned to replace Kizer as soon as he took office, Scott said.
"It was decided it was best for him to end his time with the city before I came on," Scott said about Kizer.
Scott said he made the decision because Kizer campaigned against him, and Scott was also opposed to Dabbs' process for selecting Kizer.
Dabbs appointed him, but Scott said he thought there should have been a more involved process than an appointment.
The applicants, listed with current or last employer, are:
• Jordan Ables, Pulaski County sheriff's office.
• James Bacon, national account portfolio manager at Allied Universal in Santa Ana, Calif.
• Jerry Best, assistant director of police and public safety at the University of Arkansas-Pulaski Technical College.
• Charles Cross, chief of police and director of risk management services at the Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis.
• Richard Friend, U.S. Army recruiter.
• Tim Green, manager II at MedExpress Urgent Care in Little Rock.
• Ernest Harris, Pulaski County sheriff's office.
• Chadwick Henson, Trumann Police Department.
• Jimmy Howington, security officer at the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals/U.S. District Court of the Eastern District of Arkansas.
• Carl Minden, Pulaski County sheriff's office.
• Phillip Newcomb, fingerprint technician with the Arkansas State Police.
• Jenceson Payte, Bryant Police Department.
• JW Plouch, Bryant Police Department.
• Danna Powell, England Police Department.
• Nick Ramsey, Bryant Police Department.
• Jeremy Riedmueller, security revenue coordinator with the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration.
• James Rusterholz, Eureka Springs Police Department.
• Ronald Stayton, Arkansas State Police.
• Steven Thomas, Little Rock Police Department.
• Kevin Webb, Arkansas State Police.
Metro on 03/04/2019