Little Rock Mayor Frank Scott, Jr., announced today the appointment of Heath Helton as the City’s next Chief of Police. Helton, currently the interim Chief of Police, will assume the permanent role effective immediately.

Helton is a 27-year veteran of the Little Rock Police Department who has risen through the ranks of the LRPD. He was promoted to assistant chief in March 2022 and took over as interim chief earlier this month.

“Over the last few weeks and months, it’s become apparent to me that Chief Helton is clearly the best choice to lead the Little Rock Police Department,” Mayor Scott said. “He is well respected by law enforcement, he’s trusted by community leaders and public safety advocates, and his goals align with mine for moving the LRPD forward to better protect our residents and neighborhoods. I’m excited for this positive step to improve public safety in the City of Little Rock.”

Scott selected Helton from a pool of 43 applicants following a nationwide search. His promotion had wide-ranging support, including from the Black Police Officers Association and the Fraternal Order of Police.

Helton’s promotion comes a day after the Little Rock Board of Directors approved some of the most substantial police pay raises in the City’s history, positioning the LRPD as the highest-paid municipal police force in the State. The 2023 budget presented by Mayor Scott to the Board includes pay increases ranging from 7.9 percent to 12 percent for police officers. Starting in 2023, new LRPD officers will make $50,000 a year and receive an additional $10,000 signing bonus.

Meanwhile, the Board has also approved the purchase of more than 100 new police vehicles and allocated $1.5 million to equip and launch a state-of-the-art Real Time Crime Center in LRPD’s new downtown headquarters.

“City leadership is focused on keeping our community safer, and that starts with the LRPD. Our salary increases will help tremendously with recruitment and retention efforts,” Mayor Scott said. “Chief Helton knows I expect him to continue the positive progress we’ve made in implementing 21^st Century Policing strategies and using a data-driven, holistic approach to crime prevention. Over the last few months, we’ve seen a steady decline in the violent crime rate, and it will be Chief Helton’s responsibility to continue that downward trend and make Little Rock a safer city.”

Mayor Scott added that Helton’s promotion brings consistency to the LRPD and a recognition that officers have a path to rise through the ranks of the department. Helton becomes the first police chief since the 1970s to be promoted directly from among uniformed LRPD officers. Former Chief Stuart Thomas was also a veteran LRPD officer who had retired from the force as assistant chief before returning as chief in 2005.

“I’m honored and humbled to be named Little Rock’s 39^th police chief, and I’m grateful to Mayor Scott for giving me the opportunity to lead the department I’ve worked for since 1996,” Helton said. “The men and women of the LRPD are committed to excellence and to ensuring the safety and well-being of every resident and visitor to our city. I am eager to take over as chief in a permanent capacity and work with the department, the Mayor and the City Board to protect and serve our city.”

After starting as an officer in 1996, Helton was promoted to sergeant in 2003 and lieutenant in 2011. He became a captain in 2015 before his promotion to assistant chief. He and his wife, Carmen, have four children and live in Little Rock.