KUAR | By Mary Hennigan / Arkansas Advocate

After Little Rock’s police chief declined to answer questions Monday about the fatal shooting of a Little Rock airport executive in March, an Arkansas legislative committee granted its chair the power to issue subpoenas to help its review of the case.

Sen. Alan Clark, R-Lonsdale, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, made the motion immediately following testimony from Little Rock Police Chief Heath Helton, who said City Attorney Tom Carpenter advised him not to comment on the shooting due to ongoing litigation.

“Certainly the people of Arkansas expect us to ask questions,” Clark said. “And not only do they expect us to ask questions, they expect us to get answers — and you get answers however you can get answers.”

Arkansas committee approves subpoena power to learn more about airport executive’s death

*Mary Hennigan/Arkansas Advocate*
Sen. Alan Clark, R-Lonsdale, questions state and local law enforcement agencies about their involvement in the deadly raid of airport executive Bryan Malinowski on March 19. Photographed during a Senate Judiciary Committee meeting on Sept. 30, 2024.

LITTLE ROCK, Ark.—Today, Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced that she will appoint Chief Chris Chapmond to serve as director of the Arkansas Commission on Law Enforcement Standards and Training.

“I have made it clear that under my leadership, our brave law enforcement officials will always have the training and resources they need to keep Arkansans safe – and I am proud to announce that Hot Springs Chief of Police Chris Chapmond will help me accomplish this as director of the Arkansas Commission on Law Enforcement Standards and Training,” Sanders said. “With more than 26 years of law enforcement experience, Chapmond will bring critical knowledge and expertise to ensure that our officers are always supported.”

Chief Chris Chapmond Bio:

Chief Chris Chapmond is Chief of Police at the Hot Springs Police Department and has more than 26 years of law enforcement experience. As Chief, he developed the first five-year strategic plan, implemented a crime reduction strategy utilizing a multifaceted approach, partnered with federal, state, and local partners to reduce violent crime, and managed 164 employees and a $16 million dollar budget. He also spent two years as the Chief of Police for the Bluffton Police Department in Bluffton, South Carolina.

At the Hot Springs Police Department, he rose through the ranks, holding the titles of patrol officer, corporal, sergeant, lieutenant, captain, and assistant police chief.

Chapmond also served as operator, team leader, instructor, and incident commander for the Hot Springs Police Department SWAT Team for 11 years.

He is a graduate of Columbia Southern University, with his bachelor’s degree in police administration, Northwestern University Center for Public Safety School of Police Staff and Command, and FBI-LEEDA.