4.21.24 – 5newsonline.com – HUGHES, Ark.
The commission says they will reconsider reinstating the Hughes Police Department at CLEST’s next meeting in May.
The Arkansas Division of Law Enforcement has shut down one of the state’s police departments after finding it was not complying with the Commission on Law Enforcement Standards and Training (CLEST) rules, according to a press release. As a result, the department is now deemed inactive, which is described by the commission as a law enforcement agency that “existed and operated under state law or local ordinance in the past but that currently does not exist or has not operated for at least six months.”
State officials did not say which CLEST standards the Hughes Police Department did not follow. The commission says they will reconsider reinstating the eastern Arkansas police department at CLEST’s next meeting on May 9.According to the press release, division officials met with Hughes Mayor Lincoln Barnett to discuss how to lead the department back into compliance with the standards. “We had a positive, productive discussion, and Hughes city officials have cooperated fully,” CLEST Director Chris Chapmond said.