LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — In a recent THV11 election survey, Arkansas voters said crime is one of the most important issues to them.
Pulaski County Prosecuting Attorney Will Jones said that homicides have gone down by nearly 50% in the past two years.
"People talk about numbers, but we are talking about real human lives," Jones said.
Jones was elected as the Pulaski County Prosecuting Attorney in 2022, following some of the most deadly years for Little Rock and Pulaski County.
"You walk into these doors and into this role that is all about public safety," Jones said. "I knew we had to do something different because the way we've been doing things for so many years just isn't working."
From then on, Jones ensured his office was at the forefront of getting a handle on crime.
According to recent data, homicides have gone down 44% compared to 2022 numbers.
Jones said there are three things that he's doing that could contribute to this:
- Creating closer working relationships with local police departments
- Going to the crime scenes to get to know families and the cases better
- Creating a new unit focused on crime intelligence.
"That helps us and informs us more when the file comes over to our office so we can make filing decisions," Jones said. "We are able to approve the affidavits quicker so arrests can be made and justice can be swifter. Families deserve that."
However, more work remains as the prosecuting office has more than 200 pending homicide cases.
The hope is that these changes will continue to show results for safety in Arkansas.
"We believe swift consequences are going to help curb some of this violence we are seeing," Jones said.
The Little Rock Police Department is also seeing a significant decrease in homicides, reporting a 38% decline over the last five years.