Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge praised the the first responders and law enforcement agencies for providing a "safe community."
"The brave men and women and their families deserve our gratitude for serving as first responders and protecting us," said Rutledge, who was the guest speaker during the public safety officer appreciation luncheon Thursday at Texarkana First United Methodist Church in Texarkana, Ark.
"Being a first responder is a family affair and we need to show the gratitude to them and their families for making our communities safe. As leaders in the communities, we need to show the first responders and their families we have their backs."
Rutledge visits communities and round table meetings to discuss what is needed in government.
"I want to meet face to face and to be able to hear what is going on," Rutledge said. "It's important to keep our communities safe. They're a thin blue line of officers and families protecting us. We should shout from the roof tops the importance of safe communities. We want to raise our families in safety. We need to have civility and manage government with responsibility.
"I have a 12-month-old daughter and it's important to have safe communities. I want her to have dreams."
Rutledge also participates in the program "Prescription for Life," which helps students from across the state take part in the program that educates students about the dangers of both prescription drug abuse and misuse.
The program is opening a dialogue about the epidemic impacting people across the state and especially high school students.
"Prescription for Life" is one step in Rutledge's multi-faceted approach to ending the opioid crisis, she said.
At least 10,000 students have joined the program.
About 70,000 people nationwide have overdosed on opioids and in Arkansas in 2016, and 1,200 people have died because of overdoses.