Gov. Asa Hutchinson signed an executive order today which will establish a task force to oversee the state of law enforcement in Arkansas.
The force will review policy, study and analyze policies of decertification, community policing, hiring and retention of law enforcement officers, recommended means of “enhancing the trust of law enforcement.” Members of the task force will issue a report to Hutchinson on December 31, 2020. They will begin meeting as early as next week.
“The recurring theme over the last few weeks since the tragic death of George Floyd has been the need for improved law enforcement training and need for accountability,” Hutchinson said. “I realized that what [protestors] are asking for ought to be done. This is something we should have common ground pursuing.”
The task force is comprised primarily of citizens who led the recent protests and who have led the conversations that spurred the need for the force. The governor also noted that he reserves the right to appoint additional citizens as the force moves forward. This task force will be the first form of review of this nature on Arkansas law enforcement since its establishment 45 years ago.
“Just because we’ve been doing this since 1978 doesn’t mean we’ve been doing it right and can’t do it any better,” Hutchinson said.
The governor clarified that the topic of defunding the police force will not be an agenda item for the task force.
READ MORE: Hutchinson – Task Force Won’t Consider Defunding Law Enforcement
