Conway civil service prehearing centers on scope of evidence, recusals and notice in Byrd termination appeal

The Conway Civil Service Commission heard arguments in a prehearing session about the termination appeal of former Officer Britney Byrd on a charge that parts of her administrative interview were “untruthful,” counsel said. Attorneys debated whether the city’s termination letter and available recordings satisfy state notice requirements, whether testimony about events before the shooting is admissible, and whether Commissioner Courtney Kennedy should hear the case because a listed witness is Lieutenant Kennedy.

The dispute matters because the commission will decide both whether rule violations occurred and, if so, whether termination was an appropriate penalty. Petitioner counsel Robert Newcomb asked the chair to bar Lieutenant Kennedy from testifying or to disqualify Commissioner Kennedy, arguing the termination letter did not identify which statements were allegedly false and that the commission lacked a court‑reporter transcript of the prehearing proceedings.

City counsel responded that the termination letter and accompanying video and audio files give Byrd notice of the alleged…