In a ceremony before a packed room in the Sixth Division Circuit Court Room Wednesday afternoon Deputy Chief Denise Richardson was sworn in as the new Pine Bluff Police Chief by Judge Earnest Brown. Richardson will replace Chief Lloyd Franklin, who is retiring from his position.
Richardson is the first Pine Bluff Police Officer to rise from the ranks of a new recruit to the Chief of Police in the history of the Pine Bluff Police Department.
She spoke with Deltaplex News following her swearing in ceremony to discuss what it means to her to be named Pine Bluff’s next Police Chief.
One of the first plans of action that Chief Richardson has in mind is to approach the Pine Bluff City Council about revising the lateral transfer rules for officers. The current rule states that if an officer leaves the department then wants to return later, they must start over as a patrol officer, regardless of the rank they had when they left or the rank they had when they returned.
Richardson said there are ranking officers wanting to return to Pine Bluff who could bring valuable experience to the table if these rules can be changed.
Richardson will offer valuable experience to the department due to her time spent within the city working as a police officer. She spoke about how her experience will come into play when it comes to combating crime, and what some of her plans are in that regard.
She also spoke about Chief Lloyd Franklin, and some of the things he did that she feels she can build upon.
Mayor Shirley Washington gave her thoughts on why she not only chose to select an officer already in the department, but also why she chose to select Richardson.
