Radley Balko, who spent 18 months investigating the turmoil in the Little Rock Police Department, has posted a letter of response from the Little Rock Fraternal Order of Police, which took a bit of a beating in Balko’s piece.

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The FOP is pushing to force out Chief Keith Humphrey, who’s upset the old order in the department (long controlled by the FOP) in ways that tend to divide along racial lines. White officers, most of whom don’t live in the city, often are at odds with Black officers, most of who do live in the city they serve.

The FOP, in a letter to members, says Balko is just catering to law enforcement haters. It said its leaders declined to respond to Balko’s reporting for The Interceot in the interest of avoiding further divisions. It faults officers who spoke up. It accuses Humphrey of stoking false outrage in the media. It notes the recent departure of many officers. It says the FOP welcomes any “reasonable” discussion of race relations.

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It is not a response to the particulars raised by Balko beyond a general denial.

 

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