Hope Kiwanis Hears Program From Police Chief J.R. Wilson

The Hope Kiwanis Club heard from Hope Police Chief J.R. Wilson on Tuesday.  Chief Wilson talked about what he sees as the “4 Emerging Threats” to public safety.  These include firearms violence, Fentanyl, Trans-National and National Cyber Crime, and the ability of law enforcement agencies to stay fully staffed.

Chief Wilson noted most of the violent crime in Hope is some form of assault.  He noted in 2021 62 assaults involved firearms and 72 assaults in 2020 involved firearms.  He detailed how they participate in a national ballistics program which results in such information being recorded on every gun the police department acquires.  He noted firearms were the leading cause of death of children and teens in the U.S. and the 2nd leading cause of death of children and teens in Arkansas.

Fentanyl is on the verge of becoming a problem locally.  Nationally, it is already a problem.  The Chief noted the first bust involving fentanyl recently occurred just outside the city.  Chief Wilson said the problem with fentanyl is it is 50 times more deadly than heroin.  It is often added to other drugs and just 2 milligrams, essentially the size of two grains of sand, can be deadly.  The Chief noted all policemen are now carrying Narcan which can counteract the effects of a drug overdose.

The third emerging threat the Chief noted was Trans-National and National Cyber Crime.  He noted how local residents are often the victims of online scams and detailed challenges the department faces.  He also talked about a staff member who specializes in these cases.

The fourth emerging threat the Chief details was the ability of law enforcement agencies to stay fully staffed.  He noted the Hope Police Department has been fortunate in this matter as the department has pretty much been fully staffed in the last couple of years.

The club greatly enjoyed Chief Wilson’s presentation and listened with interest as he detailed what his agency is doing to meet these challenges.