Little Rock’s Police Chief Chosen To Lead Syracuse’s Force

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) — The police chief for Little Rock, Arkansas, has been chosen to lead the Syracuse Police Department.

Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh has introduced Little Rock Police Department Chief Kenton Buckner during a news conference Friday morning at Syracuse City Hall.

Buckner has been police chief in Little Rock since 2014. He was chosen from among three finalists after an eight-month search to select a successor to Frank Fowler, who's retiring.

Buckner spent most of his career with the police department in Louisville, Kentucky. He said in a recent interview that one of his top priorities in Syracuse would be to reduce violent crime.

He'll take over a police force dealing with a recent spate of gun violence that killed boys, ages 12 and 15, and wounded several other children and adults.