The former police chief of Mayflower will no longer be allowed to work in law enforcement in the state of Arkansas, according to a consent decree he signed Thursday.
Billy Paul Baker was scheduled for a decertification hearing to determine whether or not he could remain a police officer in the state of Arkansas, but reached an agreement prior to the hearing.
Baker signed a consent decree surrendering his ability to be a law enforcement officer in Arkansas, and he also agreed not to appeal the decision in order to seek law enforcement again.
"Mr. Baker did agree to his decertification as a police officer so the scheduled hearing before our Commission was waived," said Ken Jones, Director of the Arkansas Law Enforcement Training Academy. "The Commission did vote to decertify Mr. Baker. The Commission on Law Enforcement Standards and Training has the ability to certify or decertify a person as a police office in Arkansas.
"There are certain standards that are set by Arkansas law that a person must meet to be a police officer. Like wise there are certain things that an officer can do that will give cause under our law and regulations for that person not to be a police officer. The decertification is permanent."
The agreement does not affect the charge of Tampering with Public Records that he’s facing in Faulkner County. He still could get a sentence or a fine if convicted.
Baker was suspended as police chief during an investigation into false records given during certification classes for the Mayflower Police Department.
The charge stems from inconsistent statements Baker gave to officials from the Arkansas Commission on Law Enforcement Standards (CLEST) and contradicting statements made by some of the officers about a training class that may not have even happened.
The class in question is radar certification, which allows police officers to monitor roads and drivers. The evidence used from the radar gun detection is used in issuing tickets. If the class was never given and the seven officers did not officially receive certification, all speeding tickets issued since November 2011 could be contested.
Comments (6)
Add commentI'm Amazed
I would have bet my bottom dollar that the agreement would have got him off the charges.
Since that is the way they do most criminal lawdogs is if they go away quietly they make the charges go away too.
But...
It ain't over til its over...i too bet it will just go away..
FUNNY
Just read this in the want ads on the LCD
POLICE CHIEF The City of Mayflower is accepting applications for the position of Police Chief to lead and manage dept. Chief reports directly to Mayor
A new Chief isn't all that is needed....
Mayor Randy Holland needs to GO also!! He is apparently totally unable to recruit a decent candidate as Chief. Don't believe me? Then please research the history of the last 5-7 years of that department. How many "Chiefs" have they gone through in that time?! And everytime the mess hits the fan, Holland claims to have known nothing about it. Is he really that out of touch with what is going on right under his nose,....or has he been right along with them?? Makes you wonder.
well
It's not like there is going to be a line of applicants for MAYFLOWER police chief.
That just might be the
That just might be the problem. They have had too many Chiefs and not near enough Indians.
Barney is applying
Barney Fife is applying. He didn't last over in Raleigh at the Police Department. Never could crack that case with all the grocery store robberies.
Has a bullet for his pistol, has to keep it in his pocket.
From the outside
I know nothing at all about the mayor and only what's been posted in the LCD about this incident, but to expect that the mayor was personally involved or should have some personal knowledge about a pretty mundane training like radar certification is pretty silly. I'm pretty sure most mayors don't know a thing in the world about the training of their local PD.
He may be crooked as the day is long, but people trying to burn him for this incident are probably just tired of holding their torches.
PEARList
The problem with the mayor is when he was notified of this problem by the officers who trusted he would keep it confidential he ran to the Chief and told him. The mayor did nothing however the chief fired the officers who told the mayor. Since the mayor refused to take any kind of action the officers went to standards who got the state police involved. Also look at the past chiefs that were arrested. The problem with the mayor is he is an idiot and could care less about the police department. The mayor refuses to deal with the media and pushes it on his officers. He literally tells the department to tell the media he is not in when he is sitting at his desk. He refuses to do his job however wants a paycheck. The only time he commented on this particular chief to the media is because they got a phone call when he was in his office and was told how to find him in the city hall. I truly hope the city Councel will wake up and stop letting the mayor run our city in the ground.