Jonesboro, AR – (JonesboroRightNow.com) – Dec. 6, 2024 – The decision on whether or not terminated Jonesboro police officer Joseph Harris will have a future in law enforcement won’t happen until at least May 2025.
Jonesboro Police Chief Rick Elliott asked the Commission on Law Enforcement Standards and Training (LEST) to decertify Harris as a police officer. The request came after Elliott terminated Harris as a Jonesboro officer in August 2024 after a complaint led to an investigation of the way Harris treated a prisoner.
A video surfaced that appeared to show Harris striking the prisoner with his fist and elbow repeatedly and slamming his head with the police car door at least twice.
It had been reported in the days following the termination that Elliott had said the FBI’s Little Rock office would be investigating the incident. Elliott also said the case was being turned over to Prosecuting Attorney Sonia Hagood. Neither the FBI nor Hagood have announced any action regarding Harris.
On Sept. 10, the LEST Commission voted to proceed to a decertification hearing.
Responding to a request from JonesboroRightNow this week, Cindy Murphy, Communications Director with the Arkansas Department of Public Safety said, “The hearing is expected to be at the May 2025 Commission meeting.”
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