Greenwood, Arkansas (December28, 2009) Lieutenant Will Dawson received notice this month from Governor Mike Beebe that he had officially been appointed to the Task Force on Racial Profiling. In his letter to Lt. Dawson, Governor Beebe states “I appreciate your willingness to serve the public, and I am counting on your wise counsel and advice as you accept this position of responsibility. I look forward to your help and involvement as we work together toward building a better future for all Arkansans.”
The Task Force on Racial Profiling was first created in 2003 by Act 1207, and again in 2005 with Act 2136, which expired December 31, 2006. With additional work for the task force needed, Act 1458 of 2009 reestablished the task force. The new task force consists of thirteen members and is set to expire June 30, 2012. Lt. Dawson is one of two law enforcement officers appointed. He is accompanied by Deputy Chief Carlos Corbin of the Little Rock Police Department. Dawson’s appointment is for the length of the task force as established by the Act.
Police Chief Keith Jackson said of Lt. Will Dawson, “His commitment to law enforcement is genuine and unparalleled. Lt. Dawson is extremely knowledgeable and consistently fair; he will be a tremendous asset to the task force.” Adding “with over 5,500 law enforcement officers in the State of Arkansas and Lt. Dawson being one of two appointed… I believe that speaks volumes about him as a professional law enforcement officer and as a person, as well as the Greenwood Police Department; which he will represent proudly.”
Lt. Dawson stated “part of our responsibilities include studying the effectiveness and feasibility of a racial profiling data collection requirement, along with facilitating an annual symposium on racial profiling for the Governor’s Office, Legislative Black Caucus of the General Assembly, Arkansas State Police and others. To say the least, we have a lot of work to do and I look forward to the challenge in carrying out our duties as defined by Act 1458.”