Hot Springs Village Police Chief Kristi Bennett shared exciting news at a recent Board Meeting!
At the Hot Springs Village POA Board Meeting on Wednesday, February 21, 2024, Police Chief Kristi Bennett said that General Manager Kelly Hale mentioned, “It is 53 years in the making for what I am going to talk to you about. I can tell you that the last year and a half has probably been one of the longest years and a half for me, so I can’t imagine 53 years.”
Bennett said, “We’re really proud to announce that the Hot Springs Village Police Department has received our own ORI. Just very quickly, an ORI is an Origination Number that every agency police department in the United States has. It is recognized through your state and your FBI as an agency, so you can do all of the reporting mandated by the federal government. We’ve not been doing that.”
“After a long road, with the Board’s help, I’ve been talking to different FBI directors because it’s never been done in Arkansas. We are the first private law enforcement entity in Arkansas recognized with an ORI. It’s been done around the country, but never in Arkansas,” explained the Chief.
Bennett stated, “That being said, that opens us up to a variety of different things. Now that we have our own Origination Number, we will not only report our crime statistics to the State of Arkansas and the federal government, but that gives us the door for our accreditation that we will receive next year.”
“As an accredited agency, we get different things, like discounts on our insurance. Also, after a year of reporting, that opens us up to the possibility of receiving federal and state funding for police safety equipment, such as ballistic vests and radios,” shared Chief Kristi.
“So, it is a big day for us. It is a long time coming, and we are very thankful for the opportunity to be the first in Arkansas with a private-law-enforcement-entity ORI,” said Bennett.
General Manager Kelly Hale expressed his appreciation.
Board Chair Joanie Corry thanked the chief for obtaining the ORI.
Bravo to Chief Kristi Bennett and the Hot Springs Village Police Department!
Two HSV officers are back to work after receiving injuries in the line of duty
On another note, Board Director Larry Siener mentioned an article in the newspaper about two officers ending up “in a pretty good tangle. How are those individuals doing? Are they okay?”
The Chief said, “They are. They are doing good. We had some dislocated parts. The parts were put back in place, respectively. It was just one of those situations that happened very quickly. They handled it very well, not only to policy and procedure but with the least force possible. That gave them the ability not to be severely injured, which is the goal at the end of the day. Thank you for asking. They were back to work last night. They wanted to come back to work that [same] night, but we wouldn’t let them.”
Siener thanked the Chief and the above-mentioned police officers. Chief Kristi said she would relay the appreciation to the officers.
Police Chief Kristi Bennett shares good news about receiving ORI.
Report by Cheryl Dowden
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Congratulations on the ORI accreditation. Looking forward to the future.
Congrats to Kristi on the accreditation and also the everyday handling of our needs here in the village; I also wish the best for both officers injured in the recent Eric Porter altercation. As GM Kelly Hale recently said, we are responsible for those we choose to let into our community and family. Keep up the good work.