With two months left until the end of 2022, the homicide count in Little Rock matches the 1993 homicide record at 70 deaths, according to the Little Rock Police Department.
On Monday, LRPD Interim Chief Wayne Bewley said “any homicide we have in our city is too many. Now at 70, matching the 1993 number —for me personally, I want to say that it is frustrating. To the members of the Little Rock Police Department, it is frustrating, and I know also to the citizens of Little Rock, it is frustrating.”
Bewley acknowledged the number of homicides and said the police department would continue its efforts to stop crime and solve homicides, but he did not provide much else. Assistant Chief Heath Helton was also at the conference, but he did not speak.
In 1993, an additional six homicides were considered “justifiable,” which means the Pulaski County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office deemed those as non-criminal acts of self defense. This year, Bewley said seven homicides included in the total of 70 may also be justified, but those investigations are ongoing. If deemed justifiable, the homicides will not be included in the crime data.
This is the fifth consecutive year of a homicide increase, according to data from the LRPD. In 2021, Little Rock had 65 reported homicides. In 2020, that number was 55. In 2019 it was 44, and 42 in 2018.
Mayor Frank Scott Jr. released a statement Sunday afternoon that recognized the city’s 70th homicide. “This is a tragic milestone, and it’s one we must all pause to recognize as we further intensify our efforts to reduce violent crime and take illegal guns off the streets,” he said.
Mayoral candidate Steve Landers, who has built most of his campaign around the severity of crime, also released a statement on Sunday. Along with sentiments of sadness and mourning “senseless deaths,” Landers said, “Election or no election, and no matter the cause, these killings have to stop.”
In Scott’s statement, he noted that the violence in Little Rock today is not the same as the “rampant gang activity in the 1990s.” Scott mentioned components of his long-term holistic approach to crime, which includes prevention, intervention and treatment programs. These programs are largely targeted at the youth and can provide mentorship, job opportunities and lessons in conflict resolution.
Bewley said that any step to combat crime is positive, but “some of these things are going to take a little bit of time to see the fruits of.” He also echoed the difference in crime, and said that when he was a patrol officer in 1993 the homicides mostly were connected to gangs.
“The [2022] numbers are matching, but it is a different feel,” Bewley said.
He outlined the department’s resources that are used in tracking crime. Every Tuesday, Bewley said, members of the LRPD meet to debrief about the previous weekend’s violent crime. He said that this opens conversation throughout the department and checks what additional work needs to be done.
“We are not going about our business blindly,” Bewley said. “We’re looking at information. We’re looking at statistics. We’re deploying resources based on what the information is telling us.”
He also praised the investigation team that works to bring closure to the victims’ families. Of the 70 homicides in 2022, Bewley said 46 are solved, and he urged the public to provide any information for the 17 unsolved cases.
He also noted the room for improvement in all aspects of the criminal justice system — “It is a much larger issue,” Bewley said.
“We need to come together — let everyone know that the killing is not and will never be OK,” he said. “It’s no secret that the police alone cannot solve this problem.”