Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders will appoint veteran Law Enforcement and military officer Jeff Long as director of the Arkansas Crime Information Center, Sanders announced Friday.

The Arkansas Crime Information Center is part of the state Department of Public Safety. According to the state government website, the center is responsible for providing information technology services to law enforcement and other criminal justice agencies in Arkansas.

Long replaces Brad Casorta, who said he stepped down as center director on Tuesday, and Long took over as center director the next day. Casort has served at the center since 2005 and has been the center’s director since his appointment in 2017 by then Republican Governor Asa Hutchinson.

Sanders, the Republican governor, said in a press release that Long’s impressive and extensive public service career with 36 years in the military and 31 years in law enforcement “will be a huge asset to working with our top-notch team in the Department of Public Affairs.” Security to keep our nation safe with reliable and up-to-date crime data.”

Long’s salary was not immediately available through a Department of Public Safety spokesperson Friday night.

According to the state government’s website, the primary role of the Arkansas Crime Information Center is to manage a comprehensive data system that is accessed by criminal justice agencies at more than 250 locations in Arkansas. This state system is linked to the FBI’s National Crime Information Center as well as similar systems in the other 49 states. The center also collects and publishes crime statistics, manages a crime victim notification system and a public registry of sex offenders.

With the exception of crime statistics, access to most of the data stored on the center’s system is restricted to government criminal justice officials for criminal justice purposes and is specifically excluded from the Freedom of Information Act.

Long said he was honored that the governor had given him the job of heading the Arkansas Crime Information Center.

“I have dedicated my career to protecting the people of Arkansas and Americans from harm, fully preparing me to serve the people of Arkansas in that capacity and to support law enforcement with timely and accurate information,” he said in a press release issued by the Governor’s Office. “Governor Sanders and Colonel Mike Hagar’s strong and tough leadership on crime is exactly what our state needs to reduce violent crime, and I look forward to working together as we give all Arkansans a safer, stronger state.”

Long began his public service by joining the Arkansas National Guard in 1982 while still in high school and then transferred to the Army Reserves, where he rose to the rank of sergeant major, according to the governor’s office. He was a platoon sergeant in the HAZ MAT Response Team and served with the Rapid Response Team in Baghdad during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

After deployment, he served as Regional Manager for the 4th Battalion, 95th Division’s Instructor Group. Long retired from the Army Reserve in 2019 after 36 years of service.

Long began his law enforcement career in 1992 with the Russellville Police Department and joined the Arkansas State Police in 1997, earning his first assignment with Highway Patrol, Troop A, according to the Governor’s Office. He later became a member of the Guard of Honor and transferred to the Executive Protection Division. While he served in the Executive Protection Division, he rose to the rank of lieutenant and served as assistant squad leader.

He graduated from the US Army Master Sergeant Academy at Fort Bliss, Texas, and the University of Arkansas Criminal Justice Institute, School of Law Enforcement and Oversight.

He has been married to his wife Cindy for 33 years. The couple have twin daughters.

Content Source