After inquiry, mayor takes no action against police chief

LITTLE ROCK — Little Rock Mayor Frank Scott Jr. in a news release Monday announced that no disciplinary action will be taken against Police Chief Keith Humphrey after complaints from within the Police Department that triggered a human-resources investigation conducted by a university official.

The mayor said the decision was reached upon careful review and the advice of the city attorney.

Scott’s announcement came a day after the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported that City Manager Bruce Moore had provided the mayor with a report by Arkansas Tech University official Loretta Cochran for Scott to make a final determination on discipline.

In a statement included with the news release, Scott said that on Sept. 24, he received the summary report from Moore, “whose thoughtful and deliberate review came after a several monthslong investigation by Dr. Loretta Cochran.”

He added, “While it is neither customary nor advised to comment on an employee’s personnel record, we will make an exception to conclude this investigation and move forward with the necessary steps to ultimately improve public safety for Little Rock residents.”

Moore did not return a voicemail Monday evening inquiring as to whether he provided Scott with a recommendation that differed from the mayor’s decision.

In his statement, Scott seemed to suggest that Cochran’s work had been tainted by bias, but he did not provide further details.

“It is imperative that we avoid any appearance of impropriety or bias in employee investigations, and the investigator’s affiliations and donation to a complainant’s GoFundMe raised serious concerns about the legitimacy of her investigation,” Scott said. “Further, the report offered many conclusory statements without actual findings of fact, while misstating or misinterpreting the relevant legal standards, and the evidence provided does not support the complaints filed.”

The mayor’s decision in favor of no discipline all but ensures that Cochran’s findings will not be made public by the city. A decision to suspend or terminate Humphrey after the investigation would have made the records disclosable in response to an Arkansas Freedom of Information Act request.