The community responds after Little Rock City’s board of directors approves spending over $1 million on public safety equipment

Little Rock, Arkansas – More than $1 million will be donated by city officials and the mayor of Little Rock to upgrade the police department’s equipment and vehicles.

This occurs just after the mayor reported a drop in crime compared to last year.

City officials seek to provide public safety personnel with the resources they need to fight crime as they scour the streets of the nation’s capital.

“It is just putting eyes out in the community to help our police do their job better,” Little Rock City Board Member for Ward 5 Lance Hines said.

This would require, among other things, the procurement of 169 mobile radios, 107 in-car radios, and 107 WatchGuard cameras.

“I think everybody is supporting it, you know we have been pretty lockstep on support whether it is police salaries, police equipment, not just recently but over the years,” Hines said.

“I think it’s good that the city leaders are stepping in to try and help reduce the crime rate,” Little Rock resident Jameelah Meredith said.

Monday’s State of the City Address by Mayor Frank Scott Jr. included an update on the crime rate.

“Overall crime is down 7% compared to last year and violent crime is down 13%,” Scott said.

“We still have a lot of work on the perception of what is going on in our community that the data may be going one way, but public perception is still that we still have a long way to go,” Hines stated.

Residents of Little Rock expressed their delight at the leaders’ decision to spend money to upgrade public safety tools in an effort to halt the decline.

“It is a beautiful place to call home and I just want to feel safe and I just want my children to feel safe as well,” Meredith said.

The resolution was approved, and it will take effect right now.

The real-time criminal operation center will be funded by the American Rescue Plan, with the remaining monies coming from the city’s fleet and police operational budgets.