Jonesboro television station K8 News (KAIT) recently interviewed Cave City Mayor Jonas Anderson regarding a viral video that has prompted the town to rally behind its police department.
The video, uploaded to YouTube last week, depicts a 2023 interaction between a Cave City man and a police officer at city hall. The video’s title claims the police officer attacked the man.
According to Alejandra Hernández’s report, the police department’s Facebook page was flooded with messages from viewers nationwide.
“We’ve had everything, you know, from angry comments to, unfortunately, a couple of death threats that are more coming to City Hall toward our officers and, and it’s just really unfortunate all the way around,” Anderson said.
The mayor, who provided K8 News with the officer’s body cam footage from the encounter, told Hernández the full context of the incident was missing.
“The man was really upset, was banging on the doors of the offices, yelled at our employee that was there at the desk, just acting disorderly,” Anderson told K8 News.
Despite the negative online sentiment, Anderson said the Cave City Police Department has received overwhelming support from the local community.
“People here have known these guys since they were children, and so you know, most people here have known me since I was a little child. They know our staff, they know what we’re about,” he said.
He added: “If a citizen is wronged by the City of Cave City, we’re going to make it right, whether it’s law enforcement or otherwise.”
Click here for the full report from Hernández at K8 News.
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