PARIS, Ark. — The community of Paris mourned the loss of their police chief Wednesday.
Chief Robin Ellington served Paris and Logan County for more than 20 years. On Tuesday, her loved ones gathered in the high school Gymnasium to say goodbye.
"We're all coming together to mourn the loss of our chief," Paris Mayor Daniel Rogers said.
Chief Robin Ellington joined the police department in 1999 as a dispatcher and rose through the ranks over the years. Rogers said she was an obvious pick when the chief job opened in 2021.
"She had earned the respect of the department. She was the choice," Rogers said. "I knew she was a strong woman that could lead the force. Even though women are less than 10% of police chiefs in America, I knew she was the one, the right choice right from the start."
Her impact was evident with many agencies from the region and state lining up outside her funeral.
"She just filled any role that needed filled," Rogers said. "All these years in, even up to her last day, she really had a passion for changing, making the police department a better place [and] making the community a better, safer place for our citizens."
While Ellington was an experienced leader, Rogers explained that she was a loving friend to many.
"I think to a lot of our officers, she was also a motherly figure, somebody that they could talk to about their problems," Rogers said. "She wasn't just a boss, she was someone much closer to a lot of them."
Her love spread outside the department and into her community. Rogers said she followed the motto of " to protect and to serve."
"It's almost like a calling for police officers, you got to want to do that. You have to want to, to be out there putting your life on the line to protect others," Rogers said. "She was the epitome of that she knew what she loved and had a real passion for law enforcement and protecting others."
Rogers said finding a new police chief will take time as the community mourns. He said Ellington's shoes will certainly be hard to fill.
Chief Robin Ellington was laid to rest at the Caulksville Cemetery.
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