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Graduated from Clinton High School in Clinton, Arkansas, in 1999.
Worked for Arkansas Electric 1999 to 2001.
Worked for the Van Buren County Jail 2001 to 2004.
Became a Searcy PD patrol officer in 2004.
He left Searcy and went to work at the White County Sheriff’s Office after his patrol lieutenant, Rick Shourd, was elected White County sheriff in 2007, and worked there until 2013.
In 2013 he came back to Searcy as the public information officer and training officer for the department.
Became Chief of Police when new Searcy Mayor Kyle Osborne, who took office Jan. 1, appointed him.in 2018.
With the exception of a short time during his youth, new Searcy Police Chief Steve Hernandez knew he wanted to work in law enforcement.
“That started back in kindergarten,” Hernandez said. “The teacher gave us a shoebox and told us to make whatever we wanted our job to be when we grew up. I ended up making a jail cell, and I was a police officer inside that jail cell. From that point, all through elementary, junior high and high school, with the exception of one year when I wanted to be a professional kick boxer, that is what I wanted to do, be a police officer.”
Searcy is home to many attractions. The historic 1874 Black House, a restored 1870s Italianate home on the National Register of Historic Places, now houses the Searcy Art Gallery. The White County Courthouse, the oldest functioning courthouse in the state, is also listed on the National Register. The 1923 Rialto Theatre is a landmark with its splashy neon lighting and is one of only a few historic theaters which still shows daily movies.
Pioneer Village in town is a collection of late 19th century buildings you can visit in town. There is farm equipment and other local items of historic interest saved by the White County Historical Society.
While in town, be sure to keep an eye out for Art Alley, which showcases murals by local artists. The alley is located behind the businesses of Spruce Street. The alley is an ever-changing canvas of art so new installments can be seen often there.
