Black River Technical College (BRTC) Law Enforcement Training Academy(LETA) recently hosted Arkansas Commission on Law Enforcement Standards and Training (CLEST) Director Chris Champond and Chief Legal Counsel Eric Wacaster.
Chapmond and Wacaster spent the day with LETA students and staff discussing the significance of ethics in law enforcement.
Champond spoke to students about his expectations of departments and officers. He also explained what a decertification hearing is, and how many cases of decertification are currently pending.
Wacaster is a BRTC alumni who graduated LETA from class 2005-B. He spoke to students about how he executes prosecutions of decertification hearings.
“We were extremely pleased to spend the day with Mr. Chapmond and Mr. Wacaster. They have worked hard to ensure high ethical standards are enforced in Arkansas law enforcement. Since taking office, Mr. Champond and Mr. Wacaster have both been strong advocates for BRTC. We are grateful for their service to the citizens of Arkansas,” said BRTC LETA Director Jared Bassham.
According to dps.arkansas.gov, Chapmond was named Director of CLEST in January of 2023, but he began his long tenure as a law enforcement officer in 1996 at the Hot Springs Police Department. Director Chapmond now has 26 years of law enforcement experience that includes a range of leadership roles in field operation, patrol, Drug Task Force and SWAT (Special Weapons and Response Team).
As CLEST Director, Chapmond’s goal is to improve and grow professional law enforcement training and uphold the law enforcement profession to the highest standards.
Chapmond earned a bachelor’s degree in Police Administration from Columbia Southern University and is a graduate of the Northwestern University’s School of Public Safety – Command Staff School, which is a master’s level program and considered one of the premier police executive classes in the field. Chapmond has completed the FBI Leadership Command College and is an Executive Board member and President of the Arkansas Association of Chiefs of Police, a member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, and an executive board member of the Ouachita United Way and an executive board member of CASA – Garland County. He is a member of the Hot Springs National Park Rotary Club and various other civic organizations.
Chapmond has three sons, one daughter-in-law and two grandsons.
According to dps.arkansas.gov, Wacaster joined CLEST in 2023. He graduated from Columbia Southern University in 2016 with a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice Administration and Arkansas State University in 2019 with a Master of Public Administration. Eric went on to attend Syracuse University College of Law where he graduated in 2022. Prior to joining CLEST, Eric was a Deputy Prosecuting Attorney in the 18th Judicial District East (Garland County). Prior to becoming an attorney, Eric was a police officer with Hot Springs Police Department for over fifteen years. During his career he spent time as a patrol officer, detective, SWAT officer, SWAT commander, training officer, and training sergeant.
As General Counsel for the Commission, Eric is responsible for responding to FOIA requests, reviewing requests for officer decertification, conducting decertification hearings before the Commission, maintaining compliance with state and federal law, and promulgating CLEST rules.
For more information about the BRTC LETA program, contact Director Bassham at (870)248-4193 or by email at Jared.Bassham@blackrivertech.edu.