FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MEDIA CONTACT

Major Lafayette Woods, Jr.

Operation Commander/Public Information Officer

870.541.5351

Email: lafayette.woods@jeffcoso.org

JEFFERSON COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE ANNOUNCE THE PROMOTION AND TRANSFERS OF DEPUTIES: Jefferson County, Arkansas – November 2, 2012 – On Thursday, November 1, 2012 Sheriff Gerald Robinson announced the promotions and divisional transfers of the following:

Lieutenant Larry Gragg was promoted to the rank of captain and will serve as division commander over the Service, Warrants, and Transport Divisions.  Gragg worked in management at Tyson Foods prior to entering his career in law enforcement.  He began his career in law enforcement with the Drew County Sheriff’s Office in February of 1996.  In 2001 Gragg joined the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office but took a break from law enforcement in 2003. He returned to the sheriff’s office in 2005, where he was assigned as a Criminal Investigator in the agencies Criminal Investigation Division.  Gragg was promoted to sergeant in 2007 and again promoted to lieutenant in 2011.  He has over 1,300 hours of in-service training and possesses certifications of training to include firearms instructor, advanced crime scene investigations, and certified SWAT sniper.  He also possesses a senior level certificate from the Arkansas Commission on Law Enforcement Standards and Training (CLEST) and a 1996 graduate of the Arkansas Law Enforcement Training Academy (ALETA).  Gragg attended Monticello High School in Monticello, Arkansas, where in 1987 he received his diploma.  Additionally, Gragg completed his higher education at the University of Arkansas at Monticello (UAM), where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in Agriculture Business in 1991.

Sergeant Jennifer Carr was promoted to the rank of lieutenant and will serve as the assistant division commander in the Criminal Investigation Division (CID).  Carr began her career in law enforcement in February of 2003 after gaining employment with the Stuttgart Police Department assigned to the Uniformed Patrol Division.  Following her employment at the Stuttgart Police Department, Carr gained employment with the England Police Department, where she worked until March of 2004.  In November of 2004 Carr joined the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office and was initially assigned to the Uniformed Patrol Division.  In 2006 Carr took a lateral transfer and was reassigned to the CID, where she worked as a Criminal Investigator.  Carr was promoted to sergeant in July of 2010.  She has over 705 hours of in-service training and possesses certificates of training to include death investigations, criminal investigations, and interview & interrogation techniques.  She also possesses a basic level certificate from the Arkansas Commission on Law Enforcement Standards and Training (CLEST) and a 2003 graduate of the Arkansas Law Enforcement Training Academy (ALETA).  Carr attended Stuttgart High School in Stuttgart, Arkansas, where in 1992 she received her diploma.

Corporal Mark Harper was promoted to the rank of sergeant and will serve as a shift supervisor in the Uniformed Patrol Division.  In 1993 Harper worked in corrections at the Arkansas Department of Corrections assigned to the Tucker Maximum Security Unit prior to entering his career in law enforcement.  In 1996, Harper was first introduced to the field of law enforcement after being selected amongst a pool of qualified applicants to serve as a Deputy Sheriff in the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office Reserve Unit.  In 1998 Harper gained employment with the Jack Jones Juvenile Justice Center as a Supervisory Juvenile Detention Officer.  In 2003 Harper joined the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office and was assigned to the Uniformed Patrol Division.  Harper was promoted to corporal in 2008.  He has several hundred hours of in-service training and possesses certificates of training to include principals of supervision, rapid response to active shooters, DWI detection standardized field sobriety testing and traffic occupant protection strategies, patrol drug investigation, and highway vehicle stops and drug trafficking.  He also possesses a general level certificate from the Arkansas Commission on Law Enforcement Standards and Training (CLEST) and a 2004 graduate of the Arkansas Law Enforcement Training Academy (ALETA).  Harper matriculated at Watson Chapel High School, where in 1985 he received his diploma.

Deputy Sheriff Vince Edwards was promoted to the rank of corporal and will serve as a assistant shift supervisor in the Uniformed Patrol Division.  In November of 1989, Edwards was first introduced to the field of law enforcement after gaining employment with the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (UAPB) Public Safety Office as a campus policeman. He began his career in law enforcement with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office in November of 1990.  Corporal Edwards was initially assigned to the Uniformed Patrol Division and later in his career transferred to the Service Division before again being reassigned to the Uniformed Patrol Division.  He has several hundred hours of in-service training and possesses certificates of training to include managing the interrogation process, rapid response to active shooters, and traffic accident investigation.  He also possesses an advanced level certificate from the Arkansas Commission on Law Enforcement Standards and Training (CLEST) and a 1990 graduate of the Arkansas Law Enforcement Training Academy (ALETA).  Edwards received his diploma in 1985 following his matriculation at Dollarway High School in Pine Bluff, Arkansas.  Additionally, Edwards earned an Associate’s degree in Criminal Justice from UAPB in 1990.

Criminal Investigator Mickey Buffkin was promoted to the rank of sergeant and will serve in the Criminal Investigation Division (CID).  In September of 1998 Buffkin began his career in law enforcement with the Pine Bluff Police Department, where he was employed until 2006.  Seeking career advancement Buffkin joined the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office in December of 2006 and was assigned to the CID.  He has over 1,000 hours of in-service training and possesses certifications of training to include firearms instructor, robbery investigations, death investigations, evidence collection, and interview & interrogation techniques.  He also possesses a general level certificate from the Arkansas Commission on Law Enforcement Standards and Training (CLEST) and a 1999 graduate of the Arkansas Law Enforcement Training Academy (ALETA).  Buffkin attended Princeton High School in Princeton, Texas, where in 1992 he received his diploma.

Deputy Sheriff Kashonda Turner was promoted to the rank of sergeant and will serve in the Service Division.  In 2007 Turner joined the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, where she was originally assigned to the W.C. “Dub” Brassell Adult Detention Center as a Deputy Jailer.  In 2008, Turner was reassigned to the Service Division within the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office. She has numerous hours of in-service training and possesses certifications of training to include essential skills for first-time supervisors and civil process.  Turner is a 2008 graduate of the Arkansas Law Enforcement Training Academy (ALETA).  She attended Watson Chapel High School in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, where in 1996 she received her diploma.  Additionally, Turner has several hours of higher education from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff as well as ITT Technical Institute in Criminal Justice. 

Sergeant Surrell DeBerry was promoted to the rank of lieutenant and will serve in the W.C. “Dub” Brassell Adult Detention Center (DBDC).  In 2007 DeBerry joined the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, where she was assigned to the DBDC as a Deputy Jailer.  In 2009, DeBerry was promoted to corporal.  DeBerry was again promoted in 2010 to sergeant.  She has numerous hours of in-service training and possesses certifications of training to include basic jailer training, oleoresin capsicum spray, and a host of others.  DeBerry is a 2007 graduate of the Basic Jailer Course certified through the Commission on Law Enforcement Standards and Training (CLEST).  DeBerry is also a graduate of the Part-Time II Specialized Officer Course certified through the Commission on Law Enforcement Standards and Training (CLEST).  She attended Pine Bluff High School in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, where in 1991 she received her diploma.

Deputy David Williams has been reassigned from the W.C. “Dub” Brassell Adult Detention Center (DBDC) to the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office Transportation Division.  In 2010 Williams joined the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, where he was assigned as a Deputy Jailer to the DBDC to supervise detainees within the sheriff’s office “Clean Team” community service initiative.  He has numerous hours of in-service training and possesses certifications of training to include basic jailer training, oleoresin capsicum spray, and specialized law enforcement officer.  Williams is a 2010 graduate of the Part-Time II Specialized Officer Course certified through the Commission on Law Enforcement Standards and Training (CLEST).  He attended Pine Bluff High School in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, where in 1988 he received his diploma.