Hollenbeck to step down as police chief of Fort Smith Public Schools

After 42 years in law enforcement Bill Hollenbeck is hanging up his holster, maybe. Hollenbeck has announced he is retiring as the chief of police for the Fort Smith Public School Police Department sometime towards the end of June.

“I just feel like it’s time for me to make a move,” Hollenbeck said. “I have a couple of opportunities that have presented themselves to me. I may keep working or I may just stay retired. I have some time to make a decision on my next adventure.”

Hollenbeck, 62, has worked as the FSPS chief of police for five and a half years. In November 2018, he retired as the Sebastian County Sheriff to return to school as the first director of security and facilities for the school district. The job was a result of a voter-approved district millage increase early that year that brought more money into district, a portion of which was earmarked for safety and security improvements throughout all the campuses.

With the start of the 2019-20 school year, Hollenbeck became police chief of the district’s own police department. The Arkansas State Legislature enacted Act 629 in 2019 that allowed school districts and other entities to establish police departments. In June that year, the FSPS school board approved establishing a FSPS police department, and in July, the district’s request to establish a police department was approved by the Commission on Law Enforcement Standards and Training.

“We took things from one security officer and three to four resource officers to 17 officers and a social worker,” Hollenbeck said.

The FSPS police department has 17 full-time certified officers, two part-time officers, a dispatcher and administrative assistant and a full-time social worker working across the district’s 27 campuses.

“Our officers use as many diversions as possible in order to avoid arrests and keep students in school. Sometimes we have to, but we try to help them,” Hollenbeck said, noting that officers are trained in many techniques to divert violence and encourage health and safety. “The officers are mentors and counselors. They really develop a rapport with the students.

“I’m really proud of what we’ve done here,” he added.

Hollenbeck was the Sebastian County Sheriff for eight years, having been elected in 2010. He worked for 20 years with the sheriff’s department before being elected sheriff. Prior to that, he worked for the Dallas Police Department. Raised in Fort Smith, Hollenbeck attended Sutton Elementary School and Kimmons Junior High (now Kimmons Middle School) and was a 1979 graduate of Northside High School.

“Chief Hollenbeck has been more than a police chief in our schools. He has made a measurable impact in establishing the district’s first police department. He has been a mentor to many staff and countless students. He has led the way for the district and at the state level for his analysis and execution of best practices for school safety,” said FSPS Superintendent Dr. Terry Morawski. “Moreover, his dedication to fostering positive relationships and building trust has helped the district accomplish its goal of prioritizing student safety. We wish him all the best in his retirement.”

FSPS is advertising for a replacement in its job listings. Level E positions, which include director of safety and security among other positions, are listed with a starting salary of $68,075 on the district’s classified salary schedule.