LINCOLN -- Mayor Rob Hulse announced Saturday that Kenneth Albright with the Washington County Sheriff's Office will be the city's new chief of police.
Albright, a life-long resident of Lincoln, has been with the sheriff's office since 2004. Presently, he is a sergeant in criminal investigations, court services and patrol. He also has worked as a detective with the sheriff's office, a patrol officer and communications officer.
In a post on the city of Lincoln's Facebook page, Hulse said Albright's "leadership and experience will be a great asset to the Lincoln Police Department." Hulse could not be reached Monday for additional comments on his decision.
Albright's law enforcement experience also includes working for Lincoln Police Department from 1999-2003 and working as a jail deputy with the sheriff's office from 1998-1999.
Albright became a member of Lincoln School Board in July and was appointed to fill a vacancy created by the resignation of Lisa Reed. He served on Lincoln City Council for about two years. He first was appointed to fill a vacancy and then was elected to office in 2010. Albright resigned his Council position during his term because of work and school commitments.
Albright was one of three candidates interviewed for the position last week by the Lincoln Police Committee.
The committee went into executive session Nov. 5 for the interviews and did not take any action in public afterward. Committee members are City Council members Bobby McDonald (who was absent), Johnny Stowers and Gary Eoff. Hulse also was in the executive session.
Several other City Council members were present at the beginning of the meeting but Hulse told them the only ones allowed in the executive session would be committee members, the mayor and each applicant. The committee interviewed each candidate for about 45 minutes, Hulse said.
Along with Albright, the committee also interviewed William Redfern, a former detective with Farmington Police Department and a former Lincoln police officer, and Jerry Bowen, a sergeant with Johnson Police Department.
According to Albright's resume, he has an associate's degree in criminal justice from Northwest Arkansas Community College and a bachelor of science degree in organizational management from John Brown University in Siloam Springs.
His awards and professional memberships include Washington County Sheriff's Office Unit Citation, sheriff's office Distinguished Service Award and a certificate of appreciation from the sheriff's office.
Albright is a former member of the Arkansas Army National Guard and received two Army achievement medals.
According to Albright's resume, his skills and qualifications include certified law enforcement instructor, certified field training officer, informant management, basic criminal investigations, child abuse investigation, active shooter training, leadership conference and advanced criminal investigations.
He is a certified law enforcement officer with basic, general, intermediate, advanced and senior certificates.
Hulse last week said the interviews with the three candidates went well and that he was impressed with the professionalism, quality and knowledge of all three men.
"All three are pretty solid," Hulse said.
The city was in the process of finding a new police chief after Hulse fired former Chief Brian Key last month. Key is under investigation by the Arkansas State Police. No information has been released yet about the investigation or why Key was fired.
Last week, Hulse said he believed it was important to hire a new police chief as soon as possible.
"It's important for me to go ahead and get the right person in there so we can start rebuilding in the community," Hulse said. "We want to start rebuilding that trust and reaffirming that integrity."
Resumes for the other candidates showed that Redfern worked for Farmington Police Department from April 2012 to July 2017. He also served as a law enforcement generalist in Haiti with PAE Government Services United Nations Mission from November 2010 to March 2012. He worked for Lincoln Police Department in 2001 and as an international police advisor for DynCorp International LLC in Baghdad, Iraq, from December 2007 to December 2008.
Bowen has been with Johnson police since November 2012. He's served as a sergeant since January 2015, and supervises a patrol division of six to eight officers and has taken on the role of internal investigations.
Bowen served with the military police for the U.S. Army Reserve for eight years. He was with Farmington police from April 2005 to November 2012 and served as a corporal, K9 officer and patrol officer in Farmington. Bowen also worked for Washington County Sheriff's Office and the detention center.
Presently, former Chief Russell Morphis is serving as interim police chief.
General News on 11/14/2018