Q&A with the Chief :: In Four Parts

Meet the Chief

Kenton Buckner was sworn in Dec. 3, 2018, as Syracuse’s new chief of police. Buckner, who turned 50 on Feb. 2, sat down with the founder of The Stand, now-retired Syracuse University professor emeritus Steve Davis, at the end of February for a nearly two-hour interview.

Buckner’s exclusive interview with The Stand lasted 100 minutes and was revealed over four weeks in a four-part series. Highlights were featured in the April print issue with the full transcript running more than 11,000 words available online.

During the interview, Buckner hit on such topics as police use of force, a new design of the department and his plans to increase diversity in recruitment.

In Part 1, Buckner discusses his leadership style and first impressions of Syracuse.

In Part 2, Buckner shared that he will unveil a new use-of-force policy and discussed ways he hopes to better engage the Citizen Review Board.

In Part 3, Buckner provided an overview of how he’ll approach the coming years at the department.

In Part 4, Buckner opens up on topics he’s shared little elaboration on in the past. Here the chief defends Little Rock police and the use of ‘no knock’ warrants.