75¢
Carlisle Library kids make ice cream. (See pictures on p. 6.)
Volume 120 Number 29 - USPS 225-680
Community Calendar of Events Tuesday July 20 Covid-19 public meeting Dr. Lane Rolling Hazen Community Center 6:00 p.m. Wednesday July 21 Magician Aaron Acosta Hazen Public Library 11:00 a.m. _________ Creation Station Paper pinwheels Carlisle Library All day Friday July 23 Family Film Friday Carlisle Library 2:00 p.m. Benefit for Ashton Pulled Pork Sandwich and chips Park in front of the Community Center in Hazen 11:00a.m-4:00 p.m. Monday July 26 Calvary Baptist Vacation Bible School Family Life Center ages 4 years to 6th grade 6:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m. Tuesday July 27 Methodist Church food Distribution 10:00 a.m.-Noon Drive Through Wednesday July 28 Making rose petal sugar scrub bars Carlisle Library 4:00 p.m. Friday July 30 Family Film Friday Carlisle Public Library Community events brought to you by Hazen Chamber of
Commerce and the
Please call F&M Bank (255-3042) or The Grand Prairie Herald (255-4538) to list events.
Serving all of Prairie County and the Grand Prairie
Wednesday, July 21, 2021
Hazen City Council hears new Police Department camera policies The Hazen City Council passed two resolutions and approved three new police department policies at its July meeting held on the 15th in Hazen City Hall. Since only three council members were present, it was voted to allow the mayor, David Hardke, to vote so that a quorum could be reached. Council members present were Dallas Taylor, Barbara Rogers, and Steve Chlapecka. City Assistant Mayor Tracie Vail was also present, along with Police Chief Bradley Taylor, Fire Chief Ashley Loudermilk, and new Utilities Department Manager Chad Swaim. Resolution 558 concerned the approval of financial aid to the Hazen School District to renovate the bathroom in the lower hallway of the high school. An earlier resolution approving $50,000 to renovate all of the bathrooms in the high school had expired, leaving $32,358.84 unspent by the district. The resolution allows the city to give the remaining money to the district to complete the work. Resolution 559 will allow the city to open a checking account at Farmers and Merchants Bank. The account will hold the American Rescue Plan funds. The approximately $276,800 will most likely be used toward the upgrading of the city’s water and sewage systems, but can also be used for energy efficiency measures and technical assistance to ensure compliance with
Police Chief Bradley Taylor goes through the new body and car camera policies with the city council members. the Clean Water Act. The mayor expects that at least $20,000 will be needed to upgrade the water plant and that $97,000 will need to be spent to remove the sludge from the sewer plant. Police Chief Bradley Taylor presented the three new Police Department policies which he has been developing for more than a month. The policies revise Section 024, the Vehicle Pursuit and Emergency Vehicle Operation policy; Section 036, the Mobile Digital Recording (MDR) policy; and Section 037, the Body Worn Video Recording (BWV) policy. Section 024 provides new “guidelines and directions for the establishment of responsibility for the safe operation of police vehicles during a pursuit; for the initiation or discontinuation of pursuits; for the responsibility of participating officer and supervisor; and to provide the essential balancing of the necessity for the pursuit and more immediate apprehension of the fleeing
Prairie County Quorum Court passes ordinance The Prairie County Quorum Court held an abbreviated session on Tuesday, July 13, passing one ordinance and hearing a report on the federal money that was recently received. Present for the meeting were Justices Hatcher, Childress, Willeford, Smith, Stallings, Hinson, Holloway, and Hooks. Also attending were Judge Mike Skarda, County Attorney Abram Skarda, County Clerk Gaylon Hale, and County Treasurer Tamara Dabney. The ordinance provides for and allows the sale of scrap metal, specifically old galvanized pipe, to Curtis Ingle, a county employee. The county will receive 25% of the amount from the sale of the pipe, and Ingle will receive 75%. Ingle will haul off the old pipe, which Judge Skarda said no one else wants to haul off. Skarda said that there is approximately 7 to 10 years of pipe that has been replaced, which will probably be 40 to 50 truck loads. There was some concern raised by Stallings about the use of the emergency clause in the ordinance, since the pipe has been piling up for so many years. Attorney Skarda said that he would look into the use
of the clause, but “It’s not uncommon for counties to do that.” Stallings also asked if bids had been taken. Judge Skarda said that he had asked others about it, but no one else wanted the job. The judge told the court that the first of the Federal Recovery Act money had been received and is in the bank drawing interest. The rules for spending the money are still in limbo and are still changing. Holloway reported that the county is in good financially at the halfway point this year. Treasurer Dabney said that the county had received over $3800 in sales tax so far this year as compared to last year’s amount. The judge said that Aristotle needs to put at least two more towers in the northern part of the county. County residents will be charged $45 for a speed of mgs, $60 for 25 mgs, and $99 for 100 mgs. The prices are guaranteed to customers for 10 years. He said that the county offices would be hooked up sometime during the week. County Clerk Hale reported that her office is now offering e-filing. With no other business, the meeting adjourned.
subject against the risks involved with the pursuit which might include death, injury and/or property damage.” “If something happens, it covers us,” Taylor said. The policy requires that officers fill out more reports than before, but Taylor said that “it’s for accountability.” Hardke stated, “We’ve provided them with everything they need.” The department will still continue to use the Prairie County dispatch and will still communicate with the County Sheriff’s Office. Sections 036 and 037 create a policy for body worn video recording, the purpose of which “is to direct officers and supervisors in the proper use and maintenance” of said recorders and to direct “how video will be utilized as a quality control mechanism and evidence.” The policy requires officers with BWV devices to activate them at certain times and provides for training in the use of the recording devices. The officers who have these recording
devices are required to wear them unless otherwise directed by the Chief of Police. Policemen must wear recording devices during responding to calls for service; during traffic stops, during investigative stops and foot pursuits; during arrests, searches, and seizures, and during other encounters with citizens and suspects. BWV will not be activated when the officer is with undercover officers or confidential informants or when the officers are legally entering a residence with the consent of the resident, or during personal or administrative conversations. The recordings will be downloaded and stored for at least a month by the city. The cameras begin recording one minute before the blue lights in a police car are turned on and can’t be turned off. The recordings are automatically downloaded to a computer, according to Taylor. “These are wonderful,” Taylor said. “The video is
unbelievable.” The officers now have car cameras and body microphones, and the system is integrated, according to Taylor. Backups of the videos will be held by the state for four years. The cost of the system was approximately $13,000 and is the same as the system used by the Arkansas State Police. The new policies were approved by the Arkansas Municipal League. Utilities Manager Chad Swaim said that his department had hired Easton Glover for the summer months. He also said that he plans to begin using community service workers again to pick up trash and do other jobs around the city. Swaim also reported that Suez Utilities Services has been contacted to check the two city water tanks and make any necessary repairs. The city will begin to pay $17,366.56 each year for maintenance of the tanks, which will include draining, cleaning, and inspecting them. The maintenance contract for the towers was ended in December of 2012, and the maintenance contract for the water plant was discontinued 7 years ago, according to Swaim. Suez will be paid $5000 to clean the two water tanks, and it could cost as much as $100,000 to get the tanks painted. Fire Chief Ashley Loudermilk informed (Continued on page 3.)
DeValls Bluff Council hears reports By Lisa Mills The DeValls Bluff City Council held their monthly meeting on July 8th. Attending the meeting were Mayor Brian Dodson and Council Members Marie Flanagan, Raymond Watson, Alice Metcalf, and Carol Griffin. Mayor Dodson reported that he had spoken with David Hilsdon about the water system grant. Hilsdon had hoped to attend the meeting but with the major traffic issues coming from Memphis, he decided to wait until next month. Dodson said that Hilsdon stated that the paperwork is ready and he will stay in touch. Dodson reported that he had spoken to Martin Smith regarding the restoration of the
”Robinson” building. Smith reported that he is having a hard time finding workers but is hoping to have enough to begin more work soon. Dodson stated that Council Member Alice Metcalf is working on information about a security system for City Hall, and that he is waiting to hear from the “Fun Park” grant. Utilities Manager Eric Barton provided a daily work log showing that the department has been mowing, working on sewer problems (especially behind Dollar General), flushing water, cleaning up River Park, repairing water leaks, and more. They also hauled off the old playground equipment from the school
and took it to Palestine for scrap. The money from the scrap will be deposited in the general fund. Sheriff Rick Hickman reported 160 patrols and 20 calls. Calls included the boat accident, criminal mischief, domestic disturbance, 2 accidents, 2 medical calls, an abandoned vehicle, fir3eworks, 3 general information calls, and 2 dog complaints. Hickman told the council that the city is going to have to hire a dog catcher because there is nothing he or the deputies can do when they get a complaint. The Fire Department reported 13 calls in June. They also reported that the fireworks and taco truck fundraiser raised $3,000.
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