Arkansas State Police to help with IDA relief

TEXARKANA, Ark. (KSLA) – Arkansas State Police are the latest to provide help to southern Louisiana.

“We are going to be assisting the Louisiana State Police with regular patrol and looters for the next 14 days,” says Lt. Scott Joe of the Arkansas State Police.

Joe is the commander of the Arkansas State Police emergency response team. The team is composed of 33 officers from around the state. They met Wednesday morning on Sept.1, at Troop G Headquarters in Hope, Ark., to discuss final plans and head to Baton Rouge. The group is prepared to assist Louisiana Police for 14 days, but Lt. Joe says they will provide more officers if needed.

Along with the officers, 500 Arkansas Army National Guard will be heading to Louisiana to help with clean up. Ltc. William Phillips said it is common for the two states to offer assistance to each other during a natural disaster. The group will have equipment with them to clear roads and help rescue individuals.

“It is not a surprise, given to the size of the storm and magnitude we anticipated this, this is what we train for,” replied Phillips. “Our mission statement is always ready, always there, we are going to be there for the duration to help Louisiana as long as they need our assistance.”

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