Several residents and community leaders used the Citizens Communication portion of the Little Rock City Board meeting on June 3 to urge officials to restore visible community policing and to reconsider police action taken during a recent “junior takeover” student event.

At least three speakers described incidents in which students were handcuffed, cited or detained by Little Rock Police Department officers during outdoor gatherings in parks and at a community school. Commenters said the enforcement approach traumatized youth and undermined trust between officers and neighborhoods.

Why it matters: Speakers argued that the pattern damaged public confidence and that rebuilding trust requires renewed investment in community policing strategies such as foot patrols, mounted or bike units, and youth engagement programs that bring officers and residents together.

What speakers said
- Norma Huffman, a neighborhood resident, described a recent personal safety incident and said she had “lost every ounce of trust with the police department.” She urged the board to “bring something back to Southwest” that will restore trust and officer‑resident contact.
- Reverend Davis framed the student detentions as part of a broader pattern: “The discretionary powers of individual police officers were there to shackle and to criminalize black children,” he said, calling the June incidents “inexcusable.” He asked the city to develop a community policing plan so “children are not detained for doing stuff that children regularly do.”
- Osiris Bali, a Little Rock School District Zone 2 board member, requested that the city pressure the police department to drop charges against students cited at Moor Hart Park, Interstate Park and at Mabelville Elementary School. He said the events risk creating “a pipeline to the prison system” for students soon to graduate.

Board response and next steps
Board members acknowledged the concerns raised by residents. Director Adcock and others committed to follow up with police leadership and staff; one director said staff would meet with commenters (Brad Jordan was named as a staff contact). Several speakers specifically requested that the department and the board resume or expand youth‑focused engagement programs that had been more active in prior decades.

Ending
Speakers asked the board to produce a timeline and concrete plan for restoring community policing and for reviewing the recent detentions; the board said it would follow up with staff and the police department but did not set a public deadline during the meeting.