Title 14 — Local Government

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.C.A. § 14-52-205Current through all legislation of the 2025 Regular Session.Arkansas Code of 1987 Annotated Official EditionCopyright © 2026 by the State of Arkansas All rights reserved

(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…

(a) (1) In order to prevent the destruction by fire of property located outside the corporate limits of cities and towns and in order to lessen the loss caused on account of insufficient means to combat fires and as a protection against such loss, the city council or other govern…

A.C.A. § 14-53-103Current through all legislation of the 2025 Regular Session.Arkansas Code of 1987 Annotated Official EditionCopyright © 2026 by the State of Arkansas All rights reserved

A.C.A. § 14-53-104Current through all legislation of the 2025 Regular Session.Arkansas Code of 1987 Annotated Official EditionCopyright © 2026 by the State of Arkansas All rights reserved

(a) (1) The uniformed force of the fire department shall be divided into two (2) platoons, the officers and members assigned to which shall alternate on tours of duty at intervals of not more than fifteen (15) days.(2) (A) The chief of the department shall arrange the working hou…

(a) All firefighters 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) This compensation shall be based on the firefighter's daily rate of pay and in additio…

The chief of the fire department shall so arrange that each employee shall be granted an annual vacation of not less than fifteen (15) days with full pay.

(a) (1) (A) From and after April 11, 1969, all firefighters employed by cities of the first class and cities of the second class shall accumulate sick leave in accordance with a municipal ordinance at the rate of not less than ten (10) working days nor more than twenty (20) worki…

A.C.A. § 14-53-109Current through all legislation of the 2025 Regular Session.Arkansas Code of 1987 Annotated Official EditionCopyright © 2026 by the State of Arkansas All rights reserved

Cities of the second class may reimburse a firefighter for replacement of personal clothing destroyed during the performance of active service to a fire department.

Cities of the second class may establish through ordinance a bonus compensation plan for firefighters eligible for retirement under the Firemen's Pension and Relief Fund Act, § 24-11-801 et seq., or under the Arkansas Local Police and Fire Retirement System Act, § 24-10-101 et se…

(a) For purposes of this section, “municipal fire marshal” means a person who holds a full-time office or position of fire marshal created by ordinance in a city of the first class, and who:(1) Is responsible for the detection and prevention of arson, the enforcement of laws rela…

(a) (1) As used in this section, “firefighter” means a full-time, paid member of a municipal fire department who is employed by the municipality and whose primary duty is fighting fires.(2) “Firefighter” does not include the chief or head of the fire department. (1) As used in th…

(a) A paid, full-time firefighter on a fifty-six (56) hour per week work schedule 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 …

(a) The purpose of this subchapter is to recommend a basic Bill of Rights for firefighters of municipalities in Arkansas. (b) A municipality may adopt a local ordinance establishing any or all of the procedures under this subchapter as a guide for negotiating personnel issues wit…