What's in a name?

When Mayor Jackie Crabtree announced Police Chief Tim Ledbetter's retirement, he said Lt. Ryan Walker would run the day-to-day operations while the chief tends the special assignment of preparing a community crisis plan.

In the week following that announcement, Lt. Walker announced on Facebook that he is "interim chief" and looks forward to serving in the "new capacity and showing what this department with its very experienced officer's (sic) are capable of." He said the mayor said that he would "assume full command."

When asked Tuesday whether he said Walker had "full command," Crabtree said yes. "He just hasn't been named interim chief yet because Chief (Ledbetter) is still here."

When asked about how he wanted to provide information from police reports to the newspaper, he said he would email the report like the fire department does. Walker is also a firefighter.

When The TIMES noted that police reports and fire reports are completely different, he declined to allow access to police reports, saying he had "seen felonies committed in that office," alluding to his belief that the chief had allowed the press access to information from the Arkansas Crime Information Computer system. He then refused to speak any more, saying the press would have to talk through the mayor.

On Wednesday, Nov. 12, The TIMES sent a letter to Crabtree, Lt. Walker and city attorney Howard Slinkard requesting police reports and offered information about how other area departments release information, including Bella Vista, Bentonville and Rogers -- all of which allow access to dispatch logs and access to reports.

In an email sent Monday, Nov. 17, Walker provided a list of information from reports and said he did not have "our new FOIA policy in place yet." He wrote via e-mail that: "I am only trying to make sure I have everything in line from my end since I bare (sic) the liability portion of the FOIA. Here are our reports from last week excluding two that are still under investigation. One regarding a minor, one regarding a rape. Both of which I did not feel need anything put in the paper at this time." His report is published in this week's newspaper.

Walker prepared the monthly police report, which is given to the City Council. He signed it Ryan Walker, interim Chief of Police.

On Monday, when asked if Walker had been named interim chief, Crabtree said: "Lt. Walker is assuming the duties." When asked to clarify whether he had named an interim chief, Crabtree initially said yes, then later said no.

"Ryan is taking over the day to day operations, then no I have not named an interim chief," Crabtree said.