Citing financial woes, Caddo Valley council cuts police force for officer salary increases

By JOEL PHELPS | arkadelphian.com

The Caddo Valley Police Department is cutting an officer from its force in order to provide raises for the other three.

With a bare quorum present, the City Council during its July 23 meeting voted 4-0 to provide a $12,000 increase to CVPD officers and to cut the four-man department down to a three-man force comprised of a chief, a lieutenant and a sergeant.

Police Chief Ashley Collier told members of the council that reducing the force was a necessary compromise to meet the city’s budget needs. With the raises in place and removing the fourth salary equates to an annual savings of $4,876, according to the city’s recorder/treasurer, Debbie Roberson.

Deputy sheriffs and Arkadelphia Police Department officers are “way ahead of us” salary-wise, Roberson told councilmen. “We used to set the bar for salaries in Clark County when I came here.” Roberson added that increasing pay would make CVPD competitive with salaries of other local agencies.

The new salary puts a starting CVPD officer at $46,500. This compares with starting salaries of $47,602 at APD and $41,377 at CCSO.

The decision to cut the force leaves the city without an assigned officer patrolling the streets three days a week during the nighttime and pre-dawn hours.

Instead, the city is calling on the Clark County Sheriff’s Office to respond to calls in Caddo Valley during those hours, a time when there are one to two deputies patrolling the county. However, Collier said that if anything “major” happens in Caddo Valley during those hours, either she or her second in command will return to duty.

The raises and force reduction take effect Aug. 1, 2024.

‘Money is tight’ in Caddo Valley

Roberson said Caddo Valley is experiencing financial woes.

“Expenses have gone through the roof and revenue is slightly down,” she said of the first half of 2024 and referring to a 4% dip in sales tax collections and a 17% increase in expenditures compared to 2023 figures. Roberson said the city’s general fund took in $476,572 and spent $353,863 between January and June — more than $122,000 in expenditures than the same period last year. “Money is tight,” she said.

Roberson’s husband Stan, who serves on the council, said, “The city being in the red worries me. We haven’t done that in a long time.”

Debbie Roberson said a weak economy is taking its toll on Caddo Valley, a town whose revenue relies mostly on sales at gas stations, restaurants and hotels. “I don’t want anyone to think we’re overspending,” she said. “We’re just paying our bills. … Our budget is tight, and we run it to the penny.”

She also said the city could reverse its decision once the economy improves and revenue is normalized.

Sheriff, APD chief say decision will impact response time

The decision to cut police patrol hours in Caddo Valley doesn’t sit well with Clark County Sheriff Jason Watson.

He told arkadelphian.com that his deputies “have an obligation to patrol and respond to calls in all unincorporated areas of the county along with many other responsibilities during those hours. There are times during these hours that one deputy sheriff is on duty.”

In discussing the removal of the fourth Valley officer with APD Chief Jason “Shorty” Jackson, the sheriff added that they weren’t made aware of the Caddo Valley City Council’s decision until after it was settled. “We have a great working relationship with all the municipalities in our county and that will continue,” Watson said. “The citizens and businesses of Caddo Valley have experienced very prompt response times from their police department in the past. With this decision those times will be extended until a deputy sheriff can arrive. My officers will respond to emergency calls.”

Noting the large geographical area Clark County encompasses, Watson said he fears a deputy’s response time to Caddo Valley could be greatly affected, as that deputy could be as far away as Okolona or Whelen Springs when dispatched to an emergency in Caddo Valley. In such an event, an Arkadelphia officer would be sent to stand by in Caddo Valley until a deputy can arrive. This, the sheriff argues, “takes an officer or two away from their responsibilities in the city of Arkadelphia.”

He added: “You could reverse the situation and my deputy is dealing with an emergency at Caddo Valley at 4 a.m. and we receive an emergency call for a deputy to respond to in the county — and my only deputy is dealing with an issue [in Caddo Valley].

“There are definite concerns because citizens expect the law when they call, and they expect them in a timely manner. History shows us that, at any time, we could be dealing with numerous situations at once. I’m very happy for the officers to receive raises, I know very well what all officers do daily and advocate for them to be paid better salaries.”

Jackson, Arkadelphia’s chief, echoed the sheriff’s statements: “Our department enjoys a wonderful working relationship with all of our surrounding agencies and will always respond anytime a Caddo Valley officer requests assistance for any issue. We have always responded to any emergency when asked by the sheriff’s office, which sometimes happens when we are much closer than the responding deputy. 

“Our officer’s primary responsibility during those instances is to preserve life and safety until a deputy arrives. That practice includes Caddo Valley in the event they do not have someone on-duty, but we can only respond when requested by the sheriff’s office and only for life-threatening emergencies.

“We cannot respond for routine calls for service such as non-injury accidents, theft reports, or any other non-emergent calls. There is no requirement for us to provide police services to Caddo Valley in times that department does not have an officer working.”

Other council business

In other business, the council voted to reimburse the general fund $17,500 spent on legal fees, moving that money from fire membership dues, a revenue source that has generated $33,900 since 2020.

The legal fees are for ongoing litigation between the city and landowner Justin Gonzales over ownership rights of a boat ramp that gives firefighters access to the Caddo River for water rescues.

Mediation on that dispute was unsuccessful, and the civil case is set for trial in Clark County Circuit Court later this year.

The council also gave its nod to purchase a new police car. Funding for the $43,060 expense will come from the city’s American Rescue Plan Act account, which prior to the purchase had a balance of $87,980. The city is in the process of selling older vehicles.