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Advisory board votes to decertify LAPD detective after POST finds attempted purchase of a silencer and related dishonesty
Summary
The advisory board voted July 16 to decertify Los Angeles Police Department detective Luke B. Walden after POST presented evidence staff said showed an attempted purchase of a firearm silencer from China and repeated denials to investigators.
The advisory board voted July 16 to decertify the POST certificate of Los Angeles Police Department detective Luke Baxter Walden after the division presented evidence that it said showed Walden attempted to purchase a firearm silencer, and then provided false or misleading statements during the administrative investigation.
POST law‑enforcement consultant William Emboden summarized an investigation stemming from a package intercepted at Los Angeles International Airport in April 2021 that contained an item the division and LAPD criminalists identified as a firearm silencer (also described in law‑enforcement bulletins as a device marketed in some online listings as an inline fuel filter). Emboden said LAPD forensic analysis described the item as a machined aluminum monocore baffle assembly with internal threading and an entrance chamber consistent with a silencer; LAPD criminalists also told the board that the advertised product name appearing in the transaction (the presentation cited a product listed as a NAPA 4003 inline fuel filter/solvent trap) is used as a code word in some firearm markets for suppressors.
Emboden told the board that LAPD audit of Walden’s internet searches and a PayPal transaction show searches for threaded barrels and silencers preceding a PayPal purchase on March 17, 2021 for a matching item; the item was shipped to Walden’s home address, the consultant said. LAPD charged Walden with a felony (attempted possession of a silencer); the district attorney later accepted a plea to a misdemeanor (attempt to possess an assault weapon) as part of a plea agreement, and the felony was dismissed under that plea. Emboden told the board that POST nonetheless found clear‑and‑convincing evidence Walden attempted to purchase an illegal silencer and that Walden repeatedly denied the effort in administrative interviews and at his board of rights.
Emboden described LAPD’s internal findings, including a board of rights determination recommending termination; the division recommended suspension or revocation of POST certification on grounds of dishonesty and acts that violate the law. Members of the board asked Walden about whether he had ordered the item, whether he had attempted to install a filter, and whether he had sought refunds or filed complaints when the first ordered item did not arrive. Walden and a representative appearing remotely said he had been working long hours, that he purchased what he believed to be a fuel filter for a 1985 Toyota Celica and that he did not install the later‑received item. Responding to board questions, Walden acknowledged taking a plea to a misdemeanor for the matter and said financial and family considerations influenced his decision to accept the plea.
After the board held closed deliberations, members voted 7‑0 to decertify Walden. The roll call recorded Clavo, Crawford, Dudley, Glaser, Johnson, Lara and Pena voting in favor. The board’s action is a POST certification decision; further procedural steps, appeals or final commission action may follow as provided by statute and POST regulation.
Ending: The board adjourned after completing the decertification vote; the transcript shows the vote was followed by closing remarks and scheduling for the next day’s reconvened business.
