Holly MatkinLittle Rock, AR – University of Arkansas Monticello Police Department (UAMPD) Officer Iciephine Green was mortally wounded during a head-on collision on March 13.
Officer Green, 45, was traveling northbound on Highway 530 in a 2002 Hyundai just before 12 a.m., when a 2012 Buick Lacrosse traveling southbound crossed into her lane on a bridge, the Arkansas Democrat Gazette reported.
The Buick collided with Officer Green’s Hyundai head-on.
She was rushed to the University of Arkansas for Medical Science in Little Rock, where she succumbed to her injuries, according to The Pine Bluff Commercial.
The Arkansas State Police (ASP) did not release the name of the driver of the Buick, and their report did not indicate that the second driver suffered any injuries, the Arkansas Democrat Gazette reported.
The roadway was clear and dry at the time of the fatal collision, according to KATV.
“She was just going home,” UAMPD Chief John Kidwell told the news outlet. “She was just a few miles from home when she was struck and killed.”
UAM Chancellor Karla Hughes announced Officer Green’s tragic death in a statement on March 14.
“Officer Green was dedicated to law enforcement for over 12 years, serving numerous agencies including the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville Police Department, the University of Arkansas at Little Rock Police Department and the Pine Bluff Police Department,” Hughes said.
She was also a UAM alumna.
“[Officer Green] received a Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff and had over 2000 hours of advanced law enforcement training,” Hughes said of the Pine Bluff native.
“We are deeply saddened by this loss, and I hope you will join me in keeping Officer Green’s family in our thoughts and prayers,” the chancellor’s statement read.
Chief Kidwell said that Officer Green was a shining example of what every law enforcement officer should hope to become, KATV reported.
“I can’t say enough good things about officer Green,” the chief explained. “She had poise, [and] handled diversity so well.”
“[She] looked very serious, so a student would have to talk to her to realize how personable she was and how much she cared for the students,” he added. “She was tough and nice at the same time.”
UAM is considering the possibility of creating a scholarship in the beloved officer’s name.
“The world was a better place with an officer like Officer Green in it,” Chief Kidwell told the Arkansas Democrat Gazette. “She was an inspirational officer.”
Officer Green leaves behind her husband, Curt, as well as her stepsons, stepdaughter, siblings, and stepmother, according to her obituary.
She will be laid to rest on Friday.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of University of Arkansas Monticello Police Department Officer Iciephine Green, both blood and blue. Thank you for your service.
Rest easy, hero. We’ll hold the line from here.