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Friends,
Numbers don’t lie. As a data-driven City, we go to the numbers when we want to tell the real story. And, as it relates to crime in Arkansas’s capital city, the numbers show us that: Our crime reduction strategy is working, and we are creating a safer and stronger Little Rock.
To date, overall crime is down 22 percent compared to a five-year average, with violent crime down 15 percent over that same time period. If you look back at just the last year, we’ve seen an 18 percent drop in overall crime and an 8 percent decline in violent crime.
These real and impactful numbers are a testament to the crime reduction strategy we have employed for more than three years now, with public safety as our over-arching priority. Complementing this data-driven, technology-led strategy is our commitment in 2025 to go “back to the basics.” We did that this summer with a renewed focus on programs and opportunities for our youth, including day camps, summer internships and Midnight Basketball.
Those numbers speak for themselves: 47,000 hours of engagement by our Department of Community Programs this summer alone, 255 interns at 92 work sites, nearly 1,000 youth summer camp participants, 400 youth in Midnight Basketball, and 464 incidents resolved through the state-of-the-art Real-Time Crime Center and Eyes on The Rock. We utilize these and other positive results to inform our strategy moving forward, ensuring we never lose momentum as we keep making progress.
We know we have more work to do as we continue to reduce crime and change the perception of crime in Little Rock. Please join us in the work by ensuring your business or residence is either integrated or registered with Eyes on The Rock, and by supporting the programs and community organizations joining in crime reduction efforts. We appreciate and share gratitude to the Little Rock Police Department, our community stakeholders, and everyone helping to make a difference.
I appreciate you!
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| | | Little Rock Celebrates Record Jobs Growth Through innovation, collaboration, and transformation, the Little Rock region is reaching monumental milestones in job creation and economic development. Last week, we celebrated these major accomplishments at a news conference at the Little Rock Regional Chamber.
The regional jobs report for July showed 380,038 people are employed in the Little Rock region, the highest number ever reported. This is an increase in about 40,000 jobs over the past five years, and it is largely because of the coordinated efforts from stakeholders to build the kind of economic climate and infrastructure that attract investment.
This year, we learned that Little Rock is one of the fastest-growing economies when compared to neighboring state capitals and peer cities. We are second behind only Nashville in five-year Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth. That puts our City ahead of the likes of Kansas City, Birmingham, Oklahoma City, Baton Rouge and Tulsa in terms of economic growth. Our goal now is to build an economic development engine moving forward that will place Little Rock on top of that list, and we can do so on the strength of our workforce, our logistical and geographical advantages, and our strong network of regional partners who share the same vision.
One shining example of our economic success is the Port of Little Rock, where more than 11,000 people work every day, and where the City’s $31 million public investment has resulted in a return of more than $1 billion in private spending. With an 875-acre megasite now on the market, the Port is poised for even more transformational growth.
Job creation is a true team effort, and we were glad to celebrate our milestones with members of the Little Rock Board of Directors and officials from the Little Rock Regional Chamber, the Port of Little Rock, Pulaski County, the Little Rock Water Reclamation Authority, Central Arkansas Water, Entergy and other important community leaders. |
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| | | $4 Million Federal Grant to Support Reentry Program |
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| Today, we announced that Little Rock and the City’s Workforce Development Board (LRWDB) received a $4 million federal grant to support LRWDB’s Rock City Reentry Program. This reentry initiative supports services for individuals about to be released from prison and have plans to live in Little Rock or surrounding areas.
Reentry programs are essential for helping curb recidivism and reduce crime. Quality pre-release and post-incarceration reentry programs allow for formerly jailed residents to transform their lives and to successfully re-integrate into society.
The LRWDB grant will fund reentry services for 400 individuals with a collaborative model of wraparound services to address the underlying causes of recidivism. Through a program called Pathway Home, LRWDB works with local employers to connect individuals with jobs, while also providing fundamental resources like employment training, transportation, education, housing and mental health and substance abuse counseling.
With this new, grant-funded cohort of Pathway Home, more than 1,000 individuals will have participated in the program.
Reentry is both a crime reduction and economic development tool. Just a few weeks ago, we celebrated the success and positive impact of our Department of Community Programs’ reentry services team, which provides professional, individualized assistance to previously incarcerated Little Rock residents.
We are grateful to LRWDB’s director, WJ Monagle, its board chairman, Eddie Davis, and everyone working in reentry to support residents as they get back on the right track. |
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| Mobile City Hall Stops in West Little Rock
Last week, we made the latest stop in our Mobile City Hall series at Grace United Church in West Little Rock. Dozens of residents attended this informative and family-friendly event, seeing first-hand how they can connect with city services and engage with our City Hall team members right in their neighborhoods.
As always, we are grateful for our department directors and their teams who work to make Mobile City Hall a success. We appreciate Bishop Steven Arnold and Pastor Joshua Hurlburt for inviting us into their church building and serving as hosts for the event.
We fielded questions from residents ranging from affordable housing to opportunities for youth to our ongoing renovation project where we are developing the City’s new senior citizen center.
Mobile City Hall gives residents a chance to raise issues or questions and to seek real-time solutions from our team. Our next Mobile City Hall will be in November, after we observe National Night Out at multiple locations throughout Little Rock on Tuesday, Oct. 7.
Stay tuned in coming days for the time and location of our November Mobile City Hall! |
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Logan’s Run is Saturday, Sept. 20
The City’s Parks and Recreation Department hosts the kickoff for the Little Rock Marathon’s All Abilities Marathon on Saturday with its annual Logan’s Run, named in memory of the late Logan Bussard, who was a therapeutic recreation specialist for the Parks Department.
Logan’s Run is at 9 a.m. Saturday at Murray Park, 5900 Rebsamen Park Road. The noncompetitive, two-kilometer event is for those ages 5 to 25 with intellectual, developmental, or physical disabilities. All participants receive a medal and a T-shirt. A fun zone will feature games and activities for the entire family.
As the first event in the All Abilities Marathon, participants can begin accumulating miles at Logan’s Run. The All Abilities Marathon is intended for participants to run, walk or roll a cumulative 25.2 miles in the weeks leading up to the Little Rock Marathon in March, with the final mile taking place on the Little Rock Marathon course.
To learn more about this great event planned for Saturday, visit the Little Rock Marathon website. |
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| | | Here’s a quick look at what’s going on this week in the City of Little Rock:
Tuesday, Sept. 16: The Little Rock Board of Directors will meet at 6 p.m. in the Board Room at City Hall. All board meetings are open to the public, and all meetings are livestreamed on the City of Little Rock’s Facebook and YouTube pages. View the agenda here.
Wednesday, Sept. 17: The Little Rock Land Bank Commission meets at noon at the Willie L. Hinton Neighborhood Resource Center, 3805 W. 12th St.
Thursday, Sept. 18: At 8:30 a.m., the City’s Civil Service Commission will hold one of its biweekly meetings in the Board Room at City Hall.
Thursday, Sept. 18: The Age-Friendly Little Rock Commission, established to support Little Rock residents 55 and older and to identify needs and solutions for the City’s seniors, meets at 12:30 p.m. at West Central Community Center, 8616 Colonel Glenn Road.
Thursday, Sept. 18: The Little Rock Board of Adjustment meets at 4 p.m. in the Board Room at City Hall. The Board of Adjustment considers requests for variances from the City’s zoning ordinance. |
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