Badges, Bandits and Bars: Law Enforcement in Arkansas
The state of Arkansas developed a reputation as a rough place early in its history. State and local government struggled to keep its citizens safe. Arkansas is the only state in the US that has had its prison system declared unconstitutional. Receiving the 2011 AASLH Award of Merit for documentary work, Eidson retells Arkansas’ history of law enforcement using video interviews, historic imagery, original graphics and artifacts within these documentary shorts. The exhibit includes multiple flat screen TV’s that loop these within the museum, including stories such as the infamous “Tucker Telephone” torture device, and electric chairs “Sparky I” and “Sparky II”.
Click on the image to view the trailer.