The Conway Police Department swore in four new officers on March 30 and sent six officers to the academy with graduation being held on April 4. 

I think [out of] our last testing we had 60 applicants and we hired four,” Chris Harris, Conway Police Department chief said. 

Harris said that they not only look into the same qualifications as most other jobs, but also who the applicants are as a person. 

“So we want to look at the totality of things. Are they a right fit for the police department?” Harris said. 

Harris also said they look at what the applicant’s character is and if they’ve done anything for the community.

Harris also said that he has been working to have a more diverse department.

“When I took over, one of the things I wanted to do is bring more diverse applicants, because we haven’t had it as much for whatever reasons,” Harris said. 

“75% of this testing cycle and hiring is diverse,” Harris said. “It’s been a while, and for some reason there was a gap in time where a lot, you know, people didn’t apply, and now it’s great that we can talk to and see, and then we can get feedback from them.”

Harris said that with a diverse department you get diverse perspectives which is important. 

“There’s different cultures out there that I, as chief, do not understand, and vice versa for other things, and this is how we come together, and so this is how we learn, and this is how we figure things out,” Harris said.

These officers are starting their journey with the police department and will go through training as well as the police academy like the six that just graduated.

“We have the class academy that we just graduated. We sent six down there. One was the class leader. Then they have 12 awards that you can get and we got seven of them.” Harris said. “At the academy, they do academics, they do driving – it’s called EVOC – where they drive through the courses and backing up and firearms, then physical fitness,”

Former UCA student Jace Nicholson was one of these graduates and was the class leader according to Harris. 

“I moved to UCA in 2020, came here for football as a preferred walk-on, actually majored and graduated in broadcast journalism,” Nicholson said. “ I met my wife there, then met a whole lot of friends and experiences there and fell in love with the town here.

Nicholson said that they moved away but came back and that he knew he had this calling and hopes to leave an impact on his community.

“I just want to make sure that coming out of it, we just do the best we can. People understand that we’re here for them and that we’re also one of them in an aspect. That we’re not just a badge,” Nicholson said. 

Nicholson said that while at the academy he learned a lot. 

“I loved it. I thought it was a blast, really, because it’s a safe, controlled environment where you can learn a lot of the basics of what law enforcement is going to do,” he said. 

He said that they were able to have an introduction into things they will see on the job. 

Being the class leader, Nicholson said that he was the liaison between students and teachers, as well as was responsible for his fellow students. 

He said that not only the academy but also the department are doing a great job preparing them. 

“They are making sure that we are equipped to do all that. To make sure that we can face anything we run into. Whether it be just interacting or handling a traffic stop or entering anything more serious,” Nicholson said. “They want to ensure that when we get out there, we’re going to be prepared to do the best we can.”