While Fort Smith Police Chief Nathaniel Clark spent his first months at his new job addressing present needs, he was also looking to the future.
Clark, who was sworn into office in February 2017, outlined his goals for the Fort Smith Police Department for 2018 on Wednesday. Like other leaders in local law enforcement, Clark's goals are based on successes and needs he saw in 2017.
"I came in with great aspirations and high hopes, and I still possess those great aspirations and high hopes," Clark said.
Engaging the community
Clark said he has made all of 2018's goals "with the community in mind," and some of those goals require direct contact with its members.
Clark emphasized community relations more than anything else. He said he hopes to make contact with the community and treat its members "as equal partners" in 2018.
“Every day, we have to make a deposit in our community’s bank," he said.
In 2017, Clark pushed for increased contact with the community through events like "Coffee with the Chief" and initiatives aimed at preventing crime like "Operation Inside Out." Clark said he will expand his outreach initiatives, which he said include speaking engagements and attending civic meetings.
Clark also plans on continuing initiatives such as "Coffee with the Chief," which he said helps members of the force better understand citizens' concerns.
"Back in the day in law enforcement, not only here, but around the country, we came into the community and we told you what’s good for you," he said. "That didn’t work 20 years ago, and won’t work today.”
While these initiatives try to promote citizen contact in an event capacity, Clark said he wants his officers to have a community-minded approach while on duty as well. He said this keeps day-to-day operations from becoming "business as usual."
“One of the things I’ve been mandating our officers to do is to think outside the box," he said. "If you see some youths outside playing basketball, stop and get out of the car and interact with the youth. Play basketball for two or three minutes. If you see an elderly person sitting on the porch, stop that police car, get out and go talk to that elderly person."
Making upgrades
After replacing old equipment for his department in 2017, Clark wants to upgrade the technology and services available to his force in 2018.
Clark said he hopes to obtain and utilize equipment and facilities not yet used by members of the force in 2018. This push for upgrades comes after Clark obtained excess money in the City of Fort Smith's annual budget to purchase new police vehicles and Tasers for his officers in 2017.
"Equipment is constantly changing," Clark said. "We have to keep abreast with the latest technology in order to provide good, quality services.”
One equipment upgrade Clark says will come into effect "probably within the next two weeks" is the utilization of motorcycles in the department. He said this upgrade will take effect once the officers have received enhanced training and helmets are ready for them.
Clark said motorcycles are important for his traffic officers because they "can get into places a car can't."
"If you see somebody run a red light and you’re in a car, it’s hard to move that car and get turned around in traffic," he said. "That motorcycle can turn around almost on the spin of a dime."
Clark also said he hopes to provide body cameras for his officers at some point in 2018.
Along with enhanced equipment, Clark also hopes to construct "a state-of-the-art training academy and a firing range" in 2018. He said the construction of such a facility is critical to officers' training.
Clark said he plans on obtaining the funding for the facility "in several ways," including utilizing funding that is used in the Police Department's current facility, looking for private partnerships and obtaining grants.
"We have to focus on our officers, making sure that their wellness is maintained, whether it’s through a bulletproof vest, whether it’s through enhanced training, whether it’s through getting counseling," Clark said.
Helping the force
Decisions that affected Police Department staff were made in 2017, and Clark wants to make more.
In 2017, Clark created seven lieutenant positions and a deputy director of administrative services position. The City of Fort Smith also unfroze 13 positions within the department.
Clark wants to see those decisions through, and focus on officer retention in 2018.
"We’re looking at an array of things, doing business different," Clark said.
Clark said he hopes to fill all 13 unfrozen positions by the end of the year. He said filling these positions will help staff productivity and offset some of the load taken on by the current members of the force.
As for the department's new lieutenants, Clark wants to ensure that the Police Department's rank structure "is within the norm of other departments." He said the lieutenants are "already fulfilling their duties and obligations."
Clark said the creation of the lieutenant positions ties into his goal of ensuring upward mobility within the department, which he hopes will keep officers on the force.
"When I got here, during my assessment, I realized people have been in positions anywhere from seven to 10 years," he said. "What I want to do is to ensure that we have a well-trained and well-equipped police department. We do that by giving people an opportunity to move within the organization."
One way to ensure this, Clark said, is through a succession plan, which he hopes to create in 2018. He said that the plan would see that people are treated fair and prepare them for "their well-roundedness" and training as well as upward mobility.
Clark called the services provided in such a plan "a win-win for everybody."
"It’s a win-win for the staff in the organization, but most importantly, it’s a win-win for you in the community," he said.