Assistant chief says officer Byrd disciplined for route, equipment and recording failures; witness says he did not tell dispatch before leaving scene

Conway — At a civil-service hearing over the termination of Officer Britney Byrd, Assistant Chief Welch testified that the Conway Police Department’s review board concluded Byrd’s response to a mass-shooting incident was “unsatisfactory” because she delayed leaving a parking lot, took a circuitous route to the scene and did not operate emergency equipment or cameras as department policy recommends.

Welch told the commission the decision at the review board rested on Byrd’s delay in departing the tow operation, her choice of route — bypassing Fifth and Third avenues and driving to First Avenue — and multiple recording failures. “The decision to drive under emergency conditions will be discretionary with each individual officer based on the following considerations,” Welch read from the department’s emergency-vehicle directive during testimony. He later said directly, “She should have turned on her blue lights and sirens.”

The issue of body- and dash-camera use surfaced repeatedly. Welch read the department guidance that “activating the body worn camera in the midst of a dynamic event should be done when practical and safe,” but said his review concluded Byrd had time to activate equipment and failed to do so. “Once the shots were fired and the response happened, we’re in the midst of a dynamic situation. She had time to turn things on,” he said.

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