Title 14, Local Government

(a) The board of civil service commissioners shall select annually on the first Monday of May one (1) of the commissioners to serve as chair of the commission. (b) (1) The chair shall preside over all meetings of the commission and be its executive officer.(2) The chair shall vot…

(a) The board shall elect one (1) of its members as secretary. (b) The secretary shall:(1) Keep the books and records of the board;(2) Conduct the correspondence of the board;(3) Report the evidence in all trials or cause the evidence to be reported, for which the reasonable expe…

(a) Except if the commission decides otherwise, the city attorney shall act as attorney for the commission in all trials or other legal transactions. However, the commission may appoint an attorney to represent the commission if it so desires. (b) The city shall hire on an annual…

(1) The city council or other governing body, as the case may be, shall:(1) Provide suitable rooms for the board to hold meetings;(2) Allow all reasonable supplies;(3) Permit use of public buildings for holding examinations by the board;(4) Provide, designate, manage, and supervi…

A majority of the total number of the members of a civil service commission authorized by statute and city ordinance shall constitute a quorum for any business, meeting, or hearing.

(a) In any investigation conducted by the commission provided for in this chapter, the commission shall have the power of subpoena, to require the attendance of any witness and the production of any papers or records pertinent to the investigation, and to administer oaths to the …

(a) The city council or governing body of the city by a two-thirds vote may remove any of the commissioners during their term of office for cause. (b) In the event of the removal of one (1) or more of the commissioners, the council or governing body shall fill the vacancy created…

(a) When a vacancy shall occur on the board by death, resignation, or expiration of the term of office, or in any other manner, the vacancy shall be filled by the city council or governing body of the city. (b) In the event a vacancy occurs during the term of office of any commis…

(a) The powers and duties of every civil service commission established pursuant to this chapter shall be and are hereby expressly limited such that the said commissions shall not have any control nor shall said commissions attempt to exercise any control over the normal and rout…

(a) (1) The board provided for in this chapter shall prescribe, amend, and enforce rules and regulations governing the fire and police departments of its respective cities.(2) The rules and regulations shall have the same force and effect of law.(3) The board shall keep a record …

All employees in any fire or police department affected by this chapter shall be governed by rules and regulations set out by the chief of their respective police or fire departments after rules and regulations have been adopted by the governing bodies of their respective municip…

In addition to all powers and duties provided by law, the civil service commissions for police and fire departments of cities of the first and second class shall promulgate rules and regulations governing the political activities of fire department and police department personnel…

The city council or board shall from time to time fix the number of employees and the salaries to be drawn by each rank in the fire and police departments of its respective cities.

(a) The secretary of the commission shall file with the treasurer or disbursing officer of his or her city a certificate of those entitled to compensation from the city under this chapter. (b) No compensation shall be allowed to any member of the police or fire departments of the…

All examinations provided for in this chapter shall be fair and impartial and such as to test the qualification of the applicants for the particular service and position to be filled.

In the case of a vacancy in a position requiring peculiar or exceptional qualifications of a scientific, professional, or expert character, upon satisfactory evidence that competition is impracticable and that the position can best be filled by the selection of some person design…

(a) (1) No civil service employee shall be discharged, reduced in rank or compensation, or suspended for three (3) or more days without being notified in writing of the discharge, reduction in rank or compensation, or the suspension for three (3) or more days and its cause.(2) In…

In the event that it shall be necessary to reduce the personnel of any department affected by this chapter, reduction shall be done from the lowest rank, seniority having priority.

No person in any department affected by this chapter shall be transferred from one department to another.

No person in any department affected by this chapter shall be appointed, reduced, suspended, discharged, or otherwise discriminated against because of his or her political opinion or affiliation.

(a) The governing body of a city of the first class shall establish a city police department and provide the city police department with the proper means and equipment to provide law enforcement services for the city and its inhabitants in a manner that will most effectually pres…

(a) The governing body of a city of the second class or an incorporated town may establish a police department and provide law enforcement services for the city of the second class or incorporated town that will most effectively preserve the peace of the city of the second class …

Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, the governing body of any incorporated town or city of the second class may establish by ordinance either a police department or a city marshal's office.

Municipal police officers and city marshals shall have the same police powers on municipally owned or leased property located outside the corporate limits of the municipality that they exercise within the corporate limits of the municipality.

(a) All full-time law enforcement officers regardless of their titles, such as city marshal, employed by cities of the first or second class or incorporated towns shall be compensated for all legal holidays established by the governing body of the municipality. (b) Compensation u…

(a) The head or chief of each police department shall:(1) Grant each full-time employee annual vacation leave of not less than fifteen (15) working days with full pay; and(2) Approve the use of annual vacation leave before the annual vacation leave is used. (1) Grant each full-ti…

(a) (1) (A) From and after April 11, 1969, all full-time law enforcement officers, regardless of their titles, such as city marshal, employed by cities of the first and second class or incorporated towns shall accumulate sick leave at the rate of twenty (20) working days per year…

All cities of the first class, cities of the second class, and incorporated towns may establish monthly payroll incentives for police officers in their employ based upon professional certificates of training conferred upon the officer by the Arkansas Commission on Law Enforcement…

Notwithstanding any law to the contrary, law enforcement officers of cities and incorporated towns shall not be prohibited from engaging in political activities except when on duty, when in uniform, or when acting in an official capacity, nor shall they be denied the right to ref…

(a) For serving city warrants only, the chief of police of a city of the second class or his or her deputies shall be entitled to the fees allowed to the sheriffs under § 21-6-307 for similar services in similar cases. (b) All fees collected by the police chief and his or her dep…

A municipal police department in this state may charge and collect a fee of twenty dollars ($20.00) for taking and entering a bail or delivery bond.

(a) When a law enforcement officer employed by a city of the first class, city of the second class, or incorporated town retires from service or dies while still employed with the city of the first class, city of the second class, or incorporated town, in recognition of and appre…

(a) A municipal police department may exchange real property or personal property with another municipal police department. (b) An exchange of property shall be approved by the governing body of the municipality. (c) This section does not prohibit a governing body of a municipali…

(a) A paid, full-time municipal police officer who is a member of the armed forces of this state or any other state, including without limitation the National Guard or a reserve component or auxiliary of the United States Armed Forces, shall be granted leave at the rate of one hu…

The governing body of a municipality shall direct by general ordinance the number of subordinate police officers to be appointed.

(a) The chief of police in a municipality shall execute all process directed to him or her by the mayor and shall attend by himself or herself or by someone else on the police force on the sitting of the district court to execute its orders and preserve order therein. (b) (1) The…

(a) In a municipality, the duty of the chief of police and other officers of the police department is under the direction of the mayor. (b) It is their duty to:(1) Suppress a riot, disturbance, or breach of the peace;(2) Pursue and arrest a person fleeing from justice in any part…

In a municipality, the mayor or a police officer of the city may arrest upon view a person whom he or she has probable cause to believe is guilty of a breach of the ordinances of the city or of a crime against the laws of the state and, upon reasonable information supported by af…

(a) The purpose of this subchapter is to recommend a basic Bill of Rights for law enforcement officers of cities and incorporated towns in Arkansas. (b) Any municipality shall have the authority to adopt a local ordinance establishing any or all of these procedures as a guide for…

(1) As used in this subchapter:(1) “Complainant” means the person or persons providing the information constituting the basis for official departmental charges alleging improper conduct;(2) “Formal proceeding” means a proceeding heard before any officer, committee, or other body …

(1) Whenever a law enforcement officer is under investigation for alleged improper conduct with a possible result of termination, demotion, or other disciplinary action causing loss of pay or status, the following minimum standards may apply:(1) No adverse inference shall be draw…

No law enforcement officer shall be required to disclose for the purposes of promotion or assignment any item of his or her property, income, assets, debts, or expenditures, or those of any member of the officer's household.

Whenever a personnel action may result in any loss of pay or benefits or status, the law enforcement officer shall be notified of the pending action by written official departmental charges a reasonable time before the action is taken except where exigent circumstances otherwise …

Except when on duty or acting in his or her official capacity, no law enforcement officer of a city or incorporated town shall be prohibited from engaging in political activity or be denied the right to refrain from engaging in the activity.

(a) There shall be no penalty nor threat of any penalty for the exercise by a law enforcement officer of his or her rights under this Bill of Rights. (b) Nothing in this Bill of Rights shall disparage or impair any other legal remedy any law enforcement officer shall have with re…

(a) (1) Except as provided in subdivision (a)(2) of this section, the governing body of a city shall establish fire departments and provide them with proper engines and such other equipment as shall be necessary to extinguish fires and preserve the property of the city and of the…