UPDATED: Nov. 2, 2018, at 1:28 p.m.

Kenton Buckner, the current chief of police in Little Rock, Arkansas, will take over as head of the Syracuse Police Department at the end of 2018, Mayor Ben Walsh announced Friday.

Buckner’s official start date has not been set, but he will begin transitioning into his new position immediately, according to a city press release.

The announcement comes after an eight-month search process that included two former police chiefs, the president of the Syracuse Police Benevolent Association and representatives of business, clergy and neighborhood and advocacy groups.

“Chief Buckner brings effective crime reduction strategies and a track record for increasing the diversity of his force,” Walsh said in a statement. “He understands the importance of having strong partnerships with law enforcement and the community to make our neighborhoods safer.”

Buckner has worked as Little Rock’s chief of police since June 2014, where the department saw a 15 percent decrease in overall crime under his leadership through August 2018, according to the press release. Before Little Rock, Buckner worked for 21 years in the Louisville Metro Police Department in Louisville, Kentucky.

Buckner said in a statement that Syracuse’s poverty and crime issues are similar to the situation he faced in Little Rock.

“It’s why I believe I’m the right person to be the next Syracuse police chief,” Buckner said. “I’ve faced these challenges before, and working together with the community and law enforcement at the local, state, and federal levels, we had significant success.”

Syracuse has faced a rash of gun violence in recent weeks, including shootings that killed three people under the age of 19 in an eight-day span. New York state Gov. Andrew Cuomo is sending state troopers to assist local law enforcement in the wake of the shootings.

Buckner will speak at a forum on Saturday at 11 a.m., in the City Hall Commons Atrium.

—This post will be updated with additional reporting.

Published on November 2, 2018 at 12:56 pm

Contact Jordan: [email protected] | @jordanmuller18