When she was running for Mayor of Pine Bluff, Vivian Flowers said she would make decisions about department heads based on available data.
However, when she fired Police Chief Denise Richardson Monday, she said that firing was not for cause.
In an appearance on the Oldies 1013 Morning Show March 21, 2024, she said this.
The Pine Bluff Fraternal Order of Police strongly disagreed with Flowers decision and released a statement calling Richardsons’ leadership a “transformative era for the Pine Bluff Police Department.”
It went on to cite a reduction of 11 percent in overall crime, State Accreditation for the first time in the history of the department which dates back to 1839, shift scheduling restructuring, lateral pay ordinance to attract certified officers and more.
In that same interview, Flowers talked about transparency within city departments, which she said was lacking.
Appearing on the Talk Back Live with Floyd Donald, Council Member Lanette Frazier was critical of Flowers for what she said was a lack of transparency about the firing, as well as not being included in the decision making.
Flowers told the Pine Bluff Commercial she had met briefly with four members of the council Tuesday and had reached out to two of the remaining four, and was planning ot reach out to the other two she had not made contact with.
