The Commission on Law Enforcement Standards and Training met Tuesday and Wednesday to review multiple officer decertification requests and other agenda items to be considered during future hearings. A summary of the Commission’s decisions from the proceedings is outlined below.
Officers with uncontested hearings who were unanimously voted to be decertified were Brian Douglas, Rockport Police Department and Kennedy Fields, Little Rock Police Department.
Contested Hearings:
- DeQuante Body (Sherwood Police Department) – Decertified by unanimous vote
- Joshua Heidelberg (Johnson Co. Sheriff’s Office) – Request for decertification denied by unanimous vote
- Charles White (Jefferson Co. Sheriff’s Office) – Request for decertification denied by 6/1 vote
- Jory Warden (White Co. Sheriff’s Office) – Decertified by 5/2 vote
- Chancey Warden (White Co. Sheriff’s Office) – Decertified by 4/3 vote
- Christian Morphis (Arkansas State Police) – Decertified by unanimous vote
- Michael Valentin (Arkansas State Police) – Decertified by unanimous vote
- Brandon Lofton (Arkansas State Police) – Decertified by unanimous vote
- Tye Baxter (Sharp Co. Sheriff’s Office) – Continued
- William Wilhite (Little Rock Police Department) – Continued
- Colton Burton (Jacksonville Police Department) – Request for decertification denied by unanimous vote
- Carol Crow (Little River Sheriff’s Office) – Decertified by unanimous vote
The following requests of a waiver of the two-year period under CLEST Rule 1005, an extension under CLEST Rule 1002 and permission to attend ALETA in East Camden was approved:
- Calvin Ford, Tuckerman Police Department
- Tiffany Stanley, Ashley Co. Sheriff’s Office
The following agenda requests were voted to approve:
- Discussion of meeting dates for 2028 and 2029
- Lavaca School District requests to establish their own police department under Act 629 of 2019
The following request to withdraw decertification request was denied:
- Joshua Heidelberg, Johnson Co. Sheriff’s Office
The following agenda requests were voted to proceed to a hearing:
- Colby Brewer, Mayflower Police Department
- Lizeth Cervantes, Bentonville Police Department
- Mariah Huntley, Crittenden Co. Sheriff’s Office
- Ty Phillips, DeQueen Police Department
- Joshua Tay, Siloam Springs Police Department
- Michael Kennedy, Arkansas State Police
- John Barber, Randolph Co. Sheriff’s Office
- Jimmy Bruce, Marmaduke Police Department
- Joshua Meadors, Magnolia Police Department
- Sean Barber, Ward Police Department
- Daniel Duran, Lonoke Police Department
- Matthew Wallace, Lonoke Police Department
- Austin Howard, Springdale Police Department
- John Hudson, Stuttgart Police Department
The following agenda requests were voted to table to obtain further information:
- Letron Tate, Crittenden Co. Sheriff’s Office
- Tiffany Polk, Lepanto Police Department
- James Templin, Rogers Police Department
The following agenda requests were voted to not proceed with a hearing:
- Blake Hampton, Little Rock Police Department
- Eugenia Ingle, Crittenden Co. Sheriff’s Office