Tommy F. Robinson
| Tommy F. Robinson | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Arkansas's 2nd district |
|
|
In office January 3, 1985 – January 3, 1991 |
|
| Preceded by | Ed Bethune |
| Succeeded by | Ray Thornton |
| Sheriff of Pulaski County, Arkansas | |
|
In office 1981–1984 |
|
| Preceded by | Ken Best |
| Succeeded by | Carroll Gravett |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
March 7, 1942 Little Rock Pulaski County, Arkansas, USA |
| Political party |
Democratic (before 1989) Republican (1989–present) |
| Residence | Brinkley, Arkansas |
| Alma mater | University of Arkansas at Little Rock |
| Occupation | Law enforcement officer, Political Consultant, Small Businessman |
Tommy Franklin Robinson (born March 7, 1942) is a politician from the state of Arkansas.
Robinson was born in Little Rock and graduated from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. He served in the United States Navy from 1959 to 1963.
Robinson had a career in law enforcement, rising to the position of sheriff of Pulaski County. He previously served as a North Little Rock city patrolman, Arkansas state trooper, director of campus police at the University of Arkansas, and the police chief in Jacksonville, Arkansas. In 1979, he was appointed by Governor Bill Clinton as director of the short-lived Department of Public Safety, which was abolished in 1981 by Clinton's successor, Republican Frank D. White. Robinson was elected sheriff of Pulaski County in 1980, having defeated the incumbent Ken Best in the Democratic primary. He was re-elected in 1982.
Robinson's tenure was one of non-stop controversies. In early 1981, in order to relieve jail overcrowding he ordered a group of state prisoners being held at the Pulaski County Jail to be taken to the state prison at Pine Bluff. Robinson left the prisoners chained to the (front gate of the prison) when the warden refused to accept them. The 1982 murder of Little Rock socialite Alice McArthur resulted in Robinson conducting a sensational investigation of her husband, attorney William McArthur. Robinson spent time in jail in 1983 on a federal contempt of court citation for having refused to allow the federally appointed jail master, Kenneth Basinger, to enter the jail. In response, the federal judge overseeing the case, George Howard, an African-American, was described publicly by Robinson as "a token judge." When his request for more money for his office was denied, he arrested County Judge Bill Beaumont and Comptroller Jo Adcock on charges of obstructing governmental operations. He released Beaumont and Adcock only when threatened with another contempt of court citation. A well-publicized raid on a "toga party" led by Central Arkansas Socials led to multiple lawsuits and the labeling of Robinson and his deputies as the "Keyhole Kops". Governor Frank White referred to him as "Captain Hotdog". Robinson's profanity-laced tirades at press conferences were common. In response to the high armed robbery rate in the county, Robinson initiated a program of placing hidden deputies in random convenience stores armed with shotguns, the result was a 96 percent drop in armed robberies during his tenure.
...
Wikipedia