As Jefferson County Sheriff’s Investigators work to solve a homicide reported in the county Monday, Sheriff Lafayette Woods Jr., was a guest on the Oldies 101.3 morning show Tuesday. The homicide was the first of the year outside the Pine Bluff City limits.
Morning show host Greg Horne told Woods that when Pine Bluff Police Chief Lloyd Franklin Sr., has appeared on the program, he mentioned that it has sometimes been difficult to get information about criminal suspects because “people are more afraid of the streets than they are of law enforcement. Do you encounter the same thing in the county?”
On another subject, Woods talked about his reason for being at the state capitol recently.
He said Attorney General Leslie Rutledge had taken $500,000 from her budget and reallocated it so that law enforcement agencies could apply for equipment grants. His agency applied for a grant but it was not approved as Woods said most of the applications were for things like body cameras and ballistic vests while the Jefferson County application was for a de-escalation simulator so that deputies and officers from surrounding agencies could have shoot don’t shoot scenarios to practice with.
The governor has created funds for another equipment grant program and Woods said his agency would reapply for funds.
He then mentioned the other legislation Governor Hutchinson signed.
Woods said the money is expected to be available in June but there will be a meeting before that to discuss how the funds will be dispersed.
