By LESLIE R. KENT | The Arkadelphian
Caddo Valley Mayor Joe Jackson revealed his choice for police chief in a Friday afternoon interview with arkadelphian.com. His choice, Roy Bethell, will start work next week as the current chief, Aaron Collier, prepares to leave the job on July 13 for a position with Arkansas Highway Police.
Bethell was in the news recently when Clark County Sheriff Jason Watson announced that he had removed Bethell from his assignment on the Group 6 Drug Task Force and reassigned him to a jailer/bailiff position at the Clark County Detention Center. Bethell, a former Group 6 Narcotics agent, was demoted due to an off-duty accident in a rural area outside Fayetteville.
“I believe Roy Bethell is a highly trained, extremely qualified officer who … has shown his dependability and dedication to the Caddo Valley community.”
Questioned about his choice of Bethell to be CVPD chief despite the recent incident, Jackson detailed how he made the decision, saying his first step was to ask Chief Collier to pick his top three choices from the applications received.
According to the mayor, the present chief warned him that his top pick, Bethell, came with some “baggage”, which they discussed. The mayor said the discussion brought back an old adage he had adopted from his military days serving in Korea. “It takes three “attaboys” to make up for one “awe [expletive]” moment,” Jackson told The Arkadelphian. “Roy had an ‘awe [expletive] moment like we all do. When I interviewed him I made it clear that I expected those three ‘attaboys.’” Jackson said he also extended the customary three-month probation period to one year for the new chief. According to Jackson, the open position and the applications in hand were discussed in an executive session during a recent city council meeting.
Asked about the new chief’s past history in regional law enforcement, the mayor pointed out that Collier’s opinion carried weight in the decision. “Aaron Collier is the finest law enforcement officer I have ever met,” Jackson said. “He told me that if his home were ever broken into he would hope Roy Bethell would be the investigating officer.”
The mayor said the decision was also influenced by “numerous” calls from local prosecutors, public defenders, law enforcement officers and citizens from Caddo Valley and Arkadelphia who recommended Bethell for the position. Jackson added that his years of personal experience as a local defense attorney had offered many opportunities for him to be involved with cases investigated by Bethell, and that he had grown to appreciate the quality of his investigations.
Jackson summarized his feeling by saying, “I believe Roy Bethell is a highly trained, extremely qualified officer who, in the past, has shown his dependability and dedication to the Caddo Valley community.”