Serious crimes down 14% in Fort Smith, fire department sees recruitment challenge

The Fort Smith Police Department recorded a 14.07% decline in “Part 1” crime – serious offenses tracked by the Federal Bureau of Investigation – in 2024, and more than 65% of Fort Smith Fire Department calls in 2024 were for medical assistance.

Those were some of the key points in the annual reports each department provided Tuesday (May 27) to the Fort Smith Board of Directors.

In addition to the decline in the serious crimes, Police Chief Danny Baker said the department posted overall clearance – incident resolution – rates of 93%, with the rate above 95% with violent crime investigations. Baker also said the Part 1 crimes numbers are down 33% since 2019.

“Most notably, 2024 marked the first year I can recall in my twenty‑four‑year tenure with the Fort Smith Police Department in which we recorded zero homicides – a historic milestone that underscores our commitment to proactive policing, community partnerships, and rapid investigative response,” Baker noted in his written report to the board. “These outcomes resulted from data‑driven deployment strategies, strengthened inter‑unit collaboration, and proactive community outreach initiatives.”

Baker praised the department’s special operations, field operations and criminal investigation units for their efforts to expedite incident resolution and “respond swiftly” to emerging crime trends.

“Officers assigned to all divisions continue to prioritize community engagement as a crucial component in crime reduction,” the report noted.

Baker did say there is a rise in crime among younger persons, and the juvenile crime is becoming more violent.

“It is a growing problem. It’s not just in Fort Smith, it’s across the country,” he told the board.

Following are other items mentioned in the police department report.
• Department personnel completed more than 2,900 hours of specialized training, expanded the ranks with 18 sworn and 10 civilian hires, and graduated 43 officers from the regional Basic Police Academy.

• The Community Relations Unit participated in 398 events, engaged more than 73,000 residents, and distributed more than 6,000 meals through food patrol.

• The department in 2025 plans to help move toward consolidation of 911 services, and launch a new ProPhoenix computer-aided dispatch/records management system (CAD/RMS).

Baker also told the board Tuesday that he plans to seek a pay raise for the department in the 2026 budget.

FIRE DEPARTMENT
Fire Chief Boyd Waters noted in his report that the department dealt with turnover and the challenge of recruiting new firefighters. In 2024, 10 members left the department with five of those having more than 30 years experience.

“The combined total is over 200 years but they made sure to pass as much of their knowledge on as they could,” Boyd noted.

His report listed seven firefighters who joined the department in 2024, and told the board that the department now has four vacancies. He said the vacancies are not hampering the department’s mission.

“Recruiting new members proved to be a challenge in 2024. We employed various strategies such as visiting local high schools, attending job fairs, engaging with college students, and connecting with EMT graduates,” Boyd wrote. “Additionally, we focused on social media posts, flyers, and word-of-mouth recommendations.”

His report also noted that 65.14% of calls were for medical assistance and/or to help independent emergency medical services crews on their calls. The report also noted that Oct. 28, 2024, was the busiest day for all 11 fire stations in the city with a combined 75 incidents. The second busiest day was June 26, with 67 incidents.

Waters also said that of the structure fires to which the department responds, 96% of the structures are saved.

Following are other details from Waters’ report.
• There were 97 building fire calls, or 0.61% of all calls in 2024.
• There were 98 calls related to downed power lines, or 0.62% of all calls.
• The department responded to 448 motor vehicle accidents with no injuries, and 367 motor vehicle accidents with injuries.
• The department had 109 calls related to gas leaks, or 0.69% of all incidents.
• The department had a total of 15,879 runs in 2024, with 1,442 in August being the most in a month.