Trumann police chief praises department as he announces plan to resign

In this Jan. 31, 2017, photo, Trumann Police Chief Chad Henson is interviewed outside the state Capitol in Little Rock. (AP Photo/Kelly P. Kissel, File)
In this Jan. 31, 2017, photo, Trumann Police Chief Chad Henson is interviewed outside the state Capitol in Little Rock. (AP Photo/Kelly P. Kissel, File)

Trumann Police Chief Chadwick Henson announced Monday he will resign at the end of the year after more than eight years leading the department.

Henson, in a Facebook message, stated that he would remain "close to law enforcement" but would be starting a job in the private sector.

"Over the past eight and a half years, I have had the best job in the world, a chief of police," he wrote. "I have been humbled at my front-row seat at the ability of citizens donning body armor to patrol their respective towns for little pay and fanfare."

He commended those in law enforcement for "bearing the weight of over 50 pounds of gear" and doing their jobs because of the "unspoken burden of wanting to help their fellow man."

Henson served a total of 20 years in law enforcement. Before taking the Trumann job, he served as a U.S. air marshal and an intelligence officer in Kosovo. He also served with the Blytheville Police Department.

In August 2018, Henson used deadly force against a man who had harassed him in public several times and at one point, showed up outside his home.

The man shot the chief in his chest, which was protected by a bullet-resistant vest, and Henson returned fire, killing the man, according to the prosecuting attorney's office, which investigated and concluded the shooting was justified.

In his Facebook post Monday, Henson thanked everyone who worked for him.

"Although I am a chief executive officer bound to an office chair, I felt that I was part of a team making a small difference and I tried to carry some of their load," Henson stated. "The men and women in this police department treated me with the greatest respect and allowed me to be a part of this team. I will leave a piece of my soul with the men and [women] of the Trumann Police Department."

Henson's last day will be Dec. 31.

During the past couple years, Henson applied for other police chief jobs across the state, including in Little Rock and Bryant, but he wasn't selected.

Referring to his next employment opportunity, Henson stated that it was "too good of an opportunity for me to pass up," but wasn't more specific.

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