Byron Stival takes charge of investigative division

Keith Bryant/The Weekly Vista Lt. Byron Stival.
Keith Bryant/The Weekly Vista Lt. Byron Stival.

Lt. Byron Stival is now in charge of the criminal investigative division, or CID, at the Bella Vista Police Department.

Stival was a sergeant with the Bentonville Police Department before he was hired by Bella Vista and started an overlap period May 21 with CID Lt. Barb Shrum, who retired at the end of May.

He brings 10 years' experience from the Bentonville Police Department as well as six years of service in the Army reserves. He trained with the 414th Military Police in Joplin, he said, and served in Afghanistan in 2010 and 2011.

Bentonville has a fairly high call volume, he said, which means he's handled a lot of cases in those 10 years. He was on the SWAT team and served as a patrol supervisor.

But in addition to experience, Stival said he -- much like chief James Graves, who started with the department a little over a year ago -- brings a fresh set of eyes to the department's command staff, which can help to see if any changes are needed or if there are better ways for the department to aid citizens.

So far, Stival said he's impressed with the department as well as its personnel. Shrum laid a strong foundation, he said, and he intends to build on it.

"I worked for Bentonville for 10 years and absolutely loved that agency," he said, "but this is an opportunity for me to face new challenges."

It's also a shorter commute. Stival said he lives here in Bella Vista and it's nice to work in town and occasionally head home for lunch.

And at the end of the day, he said, he looks forward to coming home to his wife, Janelle Stival, and their five children.

She's been able to take care of the home over the years, he said, and that's been essential.

"My wife has been a great support and someone I've been able to lean on," Stival said. "I think her job's tougher than mine."

Looking forward, Stival said he hopes to make a difference in his work. He'd like to make the city a bit better every shift, he said.

"I'm grateful to be here, I'm excited for the future of this department and the officers who work here," he said.

General News on 06/13/2018