Jacksonville hires new police chief
The Arkansas Supreme Court ruled that former Jacksonville Police Chief Geoffrey Herweg was ineligible for the job because of a criminal conviction. (Photo: KATV)
JACKSONVILLE, Ark. (KATV) — The city of Jacksonville has hired a new police chief months after the state's highest court disqualified the former chief from holding the job.
John Franklin, who comes with 28 years of experience at the Chicago Police Department, will be sworn in to office on June 1. His first day as chief will be June 4.
Franklin retired from the Chicago Police Department in 2010. Afterward, he took a role as the adjunct professor of criminal justice studies at Daley College, and in 2013, served a 2-year commitment as the new police chief in Dolton, Illinois, before re-entering the education field.
Franklin has a bachelor's degree in speech/media communications and a master's degree in criminal/social justice. He is also a graduate/certificate recipient of the Northwestern University Center of Public Safety.
The Arkansas Supreme Court ruled in March that former Jacksonville Police Chief Geoffrey Herweg's conviction for filing a false police report disqualified him from holding the job under state law.