February 29, 1956

Arkansas State Police raided two clubs in Hot Springs (Garland County), arresting seventeen people and seizing gambling equipment from the Southern Club and the Pine Supper Club. The need for traffic control on state highways had led to the creation of the first statewide law enforcement agency in 1929, but by the middle of the decade, the force was increasingly involved in responding to crimes that local authorities were unable or unwilling to handle.