FORT SMITH, Ark. — The Fort Smith Police Department (FSPD) has announced the establishment of a task force in response to a "recent spike" of violent crimes.

A release from FSPD said the task force was created on July 29 after recent drive-bys and even one shooting death, incidents that stand out among the city's otherwise declining violent crime.

"One person's lost their life. There's been property damage," Aric Mitchell with FSPD said. "It's completely unacceptable, and even though our violent crime is trending downward over the last two years, we want to get ahead of something like this before before another tragedy occurs."

So far this year, Mitchell said police have responded to 273 gun-related calls, which is down 18% from 2024.

"The summer months, you sometimes see a spike in ce

See Full Page