Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Cooper Running For City Marshall

Rod Cooper has announced he will seek election for the office of City Marshall for Gurdon in the Demoratic Primary on May 21.

Cooper is a graduate of the Arkansas Law Enforcement Training Academy, Arkansas State Police Troopers School, Arkansas Department of Corrections Basic Correctional Officers Training Course, Henderson State University with a bachelor of science degree, a certified scuba diver and a veteran of the U.S. Air Force.

In addition to being a certified police officer in the state of Arkansas, he has earned the basic, general, intermediate and advanced law enforcement standards. He also acheived his emergency medical technician (EMT) certificate through the Arkansas Fire Training Academy.

He is a licensed commercial pilot and has used this skill to assist the Arkansas Forestry Service in locating forest fires and he has helped numerous law enforcement agencies in fulfilling their missions. Most recently he was called on by federal wildlife officers to assist in determining the cause of the eagle deaths in the Lake DeGray area.

He has been exposed to every facet of law enforcement in the past 17 years with experience as a municipal police officer, Arkansas State Trooper, correctional sergeant for the Arkansas Department of Corrections and the past four years as a deputy sheriff for the Clark County Sheriff's Department.

Cooper, his wife, Edna, and 3-year-old daughter, Haley, have lived in Gurdon for the past five years and are active members of the Eastern Star Baptist Church. Mrs. Cooper is a lifelong resident of Gurdon and a special education teacher at Gurdon High School.

He and his family actively participate in many civic and community functions and he commonly speaks to youth groups regarding the pitfalls of gangs, drugs and the importance of education.

"Please come out May 21st and vote for a change," Cooper said in a prepared statement.