The City of Strong is attempting to bolster its small police department, led by the efforts of its new chief.
William Morgan, who is also a deputy with the Union County Sheriff's Office, has served for about a year as part-time chief of the nascent Strong Police Department.
The role is paid monthly by the City of Strong and is part time; Morgan said he patrols Strong in his off hours and, when possible, during his full-time job as a deputy sheriff.
Strong, Mayor Daryell Howell said, has struggled in the past to maintain the law enforcement presence that it has now found with Morgan.
"We were looking for someone to devote some actual time here and presence, particularly on the weekends and evenings. In smaller towns, just having the presence does a lot to deter a lot of the activity that goes on," Howell said.
"We were looking for someone to provide us with more presence and [patrols], but what we ended up getting was an officer who has a passion and is excited about doing the patrolling. We're excited to have Mr. Morgan as our Chief of Police," Howell continued.
Morgan recently secured a grant of over $16,000 from the state Department of Public Safety and plans to use it for a police radio for an unmarked vehicle donated by the Pea Ridge Police Department and equipment such as body cameras and less lethal weapons.
"[I plan to get] the basic stuff that every police department needs that we don't have," Morgan said.
He also secured equipment donations from the Texarkana Police Department including gun belts, holsters and uniforms, as well as a blood alcohol content (BAC) testing machine. The department currently has two vehicles -- one marked cruiser and one unmarked Dodge Durango, the vehicle donated by the PRPD.
As for future goals, Morgan said he wants to find a way to establish a substation in Strong -- whether at City Hall or the city shop used for vehicle repairs -- to increase both county and state police presence in Strong and the southern part of Union County as a whole. He also plans to continue looking for grants, donations and other sources of funding and equipment to continue building the department.
Currently, the department itself is made up of just Morgan and his assistant chief, Tony Cole. Howell said that, with funding, the city potentially would like to hire an additional part-time officer or even a full-time officer.
Morgan's current efforts in building up equipment and presence for the department could, the Mayor continued, help ensure that the city is able to maintain a more steady police department going forward.
"What we're doing with the equipment and building the department is preparing for even if at some point they are promoted or decide to take another position, we'll be in a position to attract other officers, having complete equipment and our units fully equipped and ready to operate," Howell said.
Morgan is a Strong native who graduated from Strong High School and wanted to find a way to help out his hometown, he said.
"I'm proud to be serving my hometown. I grew up here, have been here all my life and went to school here and am proud to protect and serve the citizens," Morgan said.