Mayor Butch Berry called last week to say he had chosen a new police chief from 19 applicants.
“It’s Billy Floyd,” he said. “I had extensive conversations with past and present law enforcement, and the applicant they talked about the most was Billy.” Berry said that he was on the phone for one call that lasted 45 minutes, every minute of it praising Billy.
“He knows this town inside out,” Berry said. “He’s known in the community, he’s committed, he’s bright and he’s my choice.”
Naturally, when I went to ESPD Monday to interview Billy Floyd I asked him straight up if he had a criminal record. He looked amused, and we compared our number of speeding warnings.
When asked why he wanted this job, his answer was to “build and improve – law enforcement is a good conduit for developing that. It fills a need that is never wasted.”
Floyd is a south Carroll County boy, born in Berryville Hospital on Sept. 28, 1974. He graduated high school in Berryville and went to work for his grandfather’s construction company, during which time he was also hired for part-time law enforcement work with the Berryville Police Department. He went full time at BPD in 2008, and signed on with Eureka Springs PD in 2011.
His focus is, and has been, getting help for those in crisis.
“There are people who do hear voices and have demons,” he said. “They don’t know what to do or where to go. Some are homeless, some are in stable marriages, some are alone. Whatever their circumstance, they need help right now. They haven’t broken any laws, and really, jail or a hospital is not where they belong. They need personal help, whether it’s the result of substance abuse, bullying at school or domestic discord. They feel powerless, hopeless and misunderstood. Many times, they’re suicidal.”
In 2017, Gov. Asa Hutchinson, with support from the Arkansas legislature, established the Crisis Stabilization Unit, a program that provides immediate professional help without jailing or hospitalization. The program provides 24/7 counseling on food quality and availability, guardianship, substance withdrawal, a bed – CSU gives immediate, short-term help.
Carroll County does not have a CSU and the closest one is in Fayetteville, but referrals from any county are accepted.
“I’m a certified CSU volunteer and so is ten percent of our department,” Floyd said. “I want to get everyone on the force certified. Ninety percent of people in crisis call 911, and ESPD and EMS show up. That’s when it gets tough – people can’t be left alone when they are in crisis, and the hospital can’t legally sedate them or tie them down even when they’re a danger to themselves or others. Jail isn’t the right place either because they haven’t broken any laws. They need someone to say “Come with me. Let’s talk about this.”
Trained volunteers for CSU are from area agencies and hospitals, and spend hours with someone to get them away from wanting to hurt themselves or someone else.
“These people are broken down. It’s not a mental health issue as much as it’s a behavioral health issue,” Floyd said. “This police force can help, we should help, we do help them get beyond their current episode until they can decide their next step is.”
Behavioral issues are apparent among students, and ESPD provides Eureka Springs schools with a School Resource Officer, Hector Ramos, who is on campus every day. “The kids love him,” Floyd said. “Whether it’s as simple as acknowledging them by name, looking them in the eye and saying good morning, or spending twenty minutes talking with them,” the kids respond to Ramos. “He is in a polo shirt, not an official uniform, and he’s really effective.”
ESPD also performs routine school walk-throughs so students feel comfort rather than anxiety in light of, according to Security.org, 198 kindergarten through high school shooting incidents in the United States in 2023.
Floyd also plans to bring back the bike cops who ride through downtown assisting those who are bamboozled, upset, or merely wanting directions to a place to eat where service dogs are welcome.
When asked if he’s any good at paperwork, Floyd said he learned long ago that when he finishes the work on his desk, he’s free to go out on patrol. So, he finishes his paperwork and does just that.