Chief Stuart Thomas

Stuart Thomas was appointed Chief of the Little Rock Police Department on April 11, 2005. Prior to this appointment, Chief Thomas served as the Administrative Services Manager for the Little Rock Police Department.

Chief Thomas joined the Little Rock Police Department in 1978. At the age of 21, he came to the Little Rock Police Department to complain about the way the Department handled the break-in of his car. He was challenged to join the Department and make a difference if he thought he could do a better job. Thirty years later he is still working on that challenge, now as Chief of Police.

Chief Thomas served at every progressive rank in the Department until his retirement as an Assistant Chief in January of 2004. During his career, he was selected as Officer of the Month twice as a result of arrests in homicide investigations and he was Officer of the Year in 1988 after being cited for his management of narcotic investigations. He has been a Patrolman, a Burglary and Homicide Detective, a Narcotics Supervisor and has commanded the Department’s Internal Affairs, Accreditation and Business Units. He served as Assistant Chief of Police for nine years prior to his retirement. Upon retiring, he managed the Rebsamen Golf Course for approximately one year before returning to the Department in a position managing budget and business functions.

Chief Thomas was born in 1955. He is a graduate of the Federal Bureau of Investigation National Academy, the Federal Bureau of Investigation National Executive Institute, the United States Secret Service Dignitary Protection School, the Senior Management Institute for Police and the Leadership Greater Little Rock Session XII. He is a member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police and the Arkansas Association of Chiefs of Police. He has attended the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville and the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Chief Thomas is a life-long Little Rock resident.