front&center Gary Sipes

Home, work fall into one place for police chief

By Amy Widner

LITTLE ROCK — Jacksonville Police Chief Gary Sipes was one of those

kids who always had a ready answer to the question,

“What do you want to be when you grow up?” Being a policeman was in his blood. Sipes was born

and raised in Pine Bluff, where his father was on the

force. Listening to his dad’s stories as he grew up, Sipes

felt those first tingles of excitement and started drafting

his own road map to the future.

“It was inspiring, just seeing that my dad got satisfac

tion out of helping people,” Sipes said. “Whether it

was catching a murderer or someone who maybe stole

somebody else’s last dime, he found it very gratifying.

And you didn’t make much money as a police officer,

now or then. But in the ’60s, the pay was just horrible.

So it wasn’t the money that kept him going.” Sipes graduated high school in May 1975 and had

a police job by December. He started as a cadet with

the North Little Rock Police Department. Two-and

a-half years later he became a full-time police officer.

He worked primarily in patrol for five years before he

took on an investigative position and was promoted to

lieutenant.

In 1999, he retired from the NLRPD to work for the

City of North Little Rock as director of code enforce

ment. It was in his city job that Sipes gained a better

appreciation for something that is still a cornerstone

of his approach: a strong code goes hand-in-hand with

better policing at the street level. Despite how much

the director job taught him and how honored he felt

to be chosen for the position, Sipes said he still aspired

to be a police chief - always had and always would if

he didn’t try.

He got his chance in 2004, when the Benton Police

Department’s chief slot came open. Sipes said Benton

wanted someone who could bring the police and code

enforcement departments closer together, so with his

experience, he was a natural fit.

But an even better fit presented itself to Sipes this

past April when Jacksonville was looking for a new police

chief after former Chief Robert Baker retired.

The Jacksonville police chief job was more than just a

realization of Sipes’ career goals, it signified the coming

together of several different aspects of his life. During

his previous jobs in other cities, Sipes had been living

in Jacksonville since 1985. Finally, his job - which is

community based by nature - and his home came

together.

His three children had gone to school in Jacksonville,

and all still live in the area with their children. Sipes said

he and his family had always felt like Jacksonville was

their home, but his relationship with their community

is taking on new meaning now that it’s his job to make

Jacksonville a better place to live. He called the police

chief position a natural fit and said he feels fortunate

that everything worked out so well.

“I really feel like now, after all these years in law en

forcement, I’m really serving my community,” Sipes

said. “I had never really had the experience of living

and working in the same place. We now feel like we are

part of the community that we want to be a part of.

It’slike it was meant to be.”

These days Sipes’ career road map ends in Jacksonville. He wants to finish his career there, but that doesn’t mean he’s taking an easy, downhill route to retirement. He’s got plans.

“I want to build on our relationship with the public,” Sipes said. “I want to be a more accessible, more receptive department. ... I want us to be a professional department that the citizens will respect and be proud of.”

Those plans have already materialized with several projects. Jacksonville participated in America’s Night Out Against Crime for the first time Tuesday. The department grilled hot dogs, distributed safety information and encouraged residents to organize their own meet-andgreet block parties.

“We want to go out and meet the folks and let them know who we are,” Sipes said. “We’re serving the community, and they’re our eyes and ears. If the citizens get to know the officers they’ll be more likely to get them information.”

Sipes said events like the Night Out Against Crime are part of a more community-oriented approach to law enforcement, a philosophy that first gained traction in the mid-’90s and one that Sipes believes has a lot of merit. With those ideas in mind, the Jacksonville Police Department plans to start opening the Sunnyside Substation for neighborhood crime watch meetings. The department will also conduct a Citizens Police Academy beginning in September. Participants will learn about what the department does, and the goal is for residents to gain a better understanding and respect for police officers’ duties. Sipes hopes with a little effort, the community and the department’s 75 officers and 12 civilianemployees can get to know each other, making residents more likely to work with police and improving overall communitypolice relations.

“When this whole idea of community-oriented policing first came about, the saying was that traditional policing is not working anymore, so let’s try something different,” Sipes said. “I think it’s a great philosophy.”

With so much still ahead of him, Sipes is also already leaving behind a legacy. Sipes, the police officer who followed in his father’s footsteps, became an inspiration himself: Two of hissons have also gone into law enforcement. Brian works in North Little Rock, and Daniel works for the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office. Sipes said their decisions were bittersweet for him. On the one hand he was proud, but on the other - like any father - his No. 1 thought was concern for their safety. Still, it was their choice, and it was a choice he understood.

“I was able to be there for the swearing-in ceremonies,” Sipes said. “I got to pin the badge on them. That was a special day.” - awidner@ arkansasonline.commatter of

fact Birthdate: April 11, 1957 Occupation: Jacksonville chief of police Family includes: Wife DeJuana (32 years); three sons, Jason, Brian and Daniel; grandkids Gavin, Paige, Lexi, Kourtlyn and two on the wayHobbies: Hunting, motorcycle riding, enjoying activities with the grandkids I cannot live without: Enjoying an episode of The Andy Griffith Show with my wife in the evenings My favorite memory is: Watching my kids play baseball The world would be a better place if: Morality was a priority, and if we had the utmost respect for ourselves and othersFavorite quote: “The cure for crime is not the electric chair, but the highchair.” - J.

Edgar Hoover My goals for the future: To be a factor in helping our police department become a model for others and a department our citizens deserve My hero is: Jesus. He has blessed me with a great family and the opportunity to achieve my goal of being a police chief

Three Rivers, Pages 109, 110 on 08/10/2008