In a blunt email to department employees Sunday, Little Rock Police Chief Keith Humphrey said he was “embarrassed” when he witnessed what he called “a segregated LRPD” during preparations for protests that occurred at the state Capitol and elsewhere in the city.
Humphrey said he observed a “lack of direct eye contact” and said it was “very obvious” that his presence made some officers uncomfortable.
“I observed white officers and black officers segregating themselves. Whether it was intentional or not it was uncomfortably noticeable,” Humphrey wrote. “I have attended many briefings here in preparation for major events since coming to the department. I have never seen anything as frightening.”
The chief also made reference to ordering officers and supervisors to “gear up and deploy” as a way to “cut the tension” while at a staging area amid the protests.
The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette obtained a copy of Humphrey’s email through a public records request.
Humphrey has served as police chief for a little more than a year. He was hired by Little Rock Mayor Frank Scott Jr. from his job as the police chief of Norman, Okla. But Humphrey’s leadership of the police department has been embroiled in allegations of retaliation in recent weeks.
Multiple lower-ranking department employees, including two assistant chiefs whom Scott passed over for the top job, have sued Humphrey for alleged acts of retaliation.
[DOCUMENT: Email from Chief Keith Humphrey » arkansasonline.com/62email/]
In the emailed statement that ran approximately 850 words long, Humphrey said in light of the magnitude of the protests following the death of George Floyd while in the custody of Minneapolis police, “it is important for us to all ways [sic] do the right thing.”
“I wont [sic] go into the true history of law enforcement when it comes to communities of color,” Humphrey went on “We all know the history of our city. If you aren’t aware of the history then I suggest that you quickly become familiar. Our communities of color are simply, ‘Tired of being tired!’ It is not only the communities of color. It is every ethnic group represented who continue to observe these horrific actions from law enforcement like those in Minneapolis.”
In a statement critical of Humphrey posted on Facebook on Sunday, the Little Rock Fraternal Order of Police said, “The chief claims that he saw a ‘segregated LRPD.’ Where the chief saw division, we saw unity. Officers stood shoulder to shoulder in the face of violent assaults. The only color that mattered was blue.”
Humphrey declined to discuss the police union’s statement when asked about it by a Democrat-Gazette reporter Monday.
“I can’t really talk about that, but what I will say, the FOP has a right to to their opinion,” Humphrey said.
The FOP last week announced plans to ask its members for their input during a vote of no confidence in Humphrey.
Information for this article was contributed by Rachel Herzog and William Sanders of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.