By Ray King
Reducing incidents of violent crime in Pine Bluff is the number one goal of Interim Police Chief Lloyd Franklin Sr. which is why he has developed a partnership with the Federal Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives Division of the Justice Department.
Appearing on the Oldies 101.3 morning show Wednesday, Franklin talked about that partnership.
When asked the progress of investigations into shooting incidents that left at least two people dead over the UAPB Homecoming weekend, Franklin said he expected the Arkansas State Police to finish their part, relating to an officer-involved shooting, very soon. As to the other incidents, he said that investigators have gotten a lot of information that they are still sorting out.
On Tuesday, voters in Minneapolis rejected a ballot initiative to “defund the police” that came about after the death of George Floyd.
Franklin was asked if there was any talk of doing that in Pine Bluff.
On another subject, Franklin said he is putting the finishing touches on a “cold case squad” to investigate unsolved crimes, particularly homicides.
