Keith Bryant
Bella Vista Police Department's newest officer, Jeff Bartlett, graduated from the police academy at the end of October and started his first shift the morning of Nov. 1.
Chief of Police Ken Farmer said that he was actually hired about four months ago, as a replacement for officer Steve Spann, who retired in June.
"When we were looking to hire," Farmer said, "we had two what I consider to be outstanding applicants. When Jeff walked into my office and started talking, I felt like I had known him for years."
Farmer said he doesn't just look for aptitude, he also looks for someone who will fit in well with the department, and he believed Bartlett would be the best fit.
The academy, Farmer said, is roughly half of the new officer's training. The other half will be on-the-job training, which includes learning department policies and procedures, learning local laws, and practical training on the streets of Bella Vista.
For the first 12 weeks he's working in the department, Farmer said, Bartlett will be paired with a more-experienced officer who can teach him how to properly operate.
"He'll have an opportunity to put in play what he learned at the academy," Farmer said.
Bartlett said he moved from Minnesota down to Northwest Arkansas in 2013 with his wife, Natalie, and their children -- two daughters and a son.
While he spent the past couple years as a stay-at-home father of three, he said, he's glad to start working with the department.
"I don't know what else to call it but a calling," he said. "It's just something I felt that I was called to do and I would be good at and I hope I'm right."
The academy, he said, was exactly what he was told to expect going in. He enjoyed it, he said, even if it was tough.
"Obviously there were things that were difficult about it," he said. "It's a lot of information real quick."
Bartlett said he's glad to have moved into the area, and he's excited to start his career with the department.
Like Farmer, he said he believes he'll be a good fit in the department.
"I plan on sticking around here," he said. "It's a good area."
General News on 11/09/2016