POST advisory board reaffirms recommendation to revoke Luke Baxter Walden’s certification

The Peace Officer Standards accountability advisory board on Nov. 6, 2025, voted to reaffirm its prior recommendation that the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training revoke the peace officer certification of Luke Baxter Walden, who at the time of the events was employed by the Los Angeles Police Department.

The board’s advisory division told members it had obtained and reviewed additional records at the commission’s request and concluded there is "clear and convincing evidence" that Walden committed serious misconduct by purchasing an illegal firearm silencer marketed as a fuel filter and by being dishonest to investigators and at a department board-of-rights hearing. "Clear and convincing evidence exists to demonstrate that respondent committed an act of serious misconduct," law enforcement consultant William Emboden said as he presented the supplemental investigative summary.

The division outlined an investigative chronology: on April 22, 2021, U.S. Customs and Border Protection intercepted a package from China addressed to Walden that was labeled "fuel filter" but contained a firearm silencer. LAPD’s inspection and an automotive expert concluded the item could not function as a fuel filter. The division cited a March 17, 2021, PayPal transaction for $45.96 for a "NAPA 4003... fuel filter" and LAPD audit results showing internet searches for silencers marketed as fuel filters.

Emboden summarized the department adjudication: LAPD’s board of rights unanimously found Walden guilty of attempting to obtain a firearm silencer but imposed a 30-day suspension rather than termination. The commission earlier asked the division to attach LAPD’s entire internal affairs file, the letter of transmittal, and board-of-rights decisions and transcripts; the division reported those supplemental materials strengthened, rather than weakened, its findings. "The additional documentation strengthened the division's allegations and provided clarity on why LAPD did not put forth an allegation of dishonesty in their IA report," Emboden said.

Defense counsel Leslie Wilcox, representing Walden, urged the board not to find dishonesty by the higher "clear and convincing" standard used by POST, saying the LAPD panel described the purchase as "a mistake" and that Walden pled no contest to a misdemeanor in criminal court. "I don't think that even with the board transcripts that you have, that you have evidence that detective Walden was intentionally lying," Wilcox told members, urging suspension rather than revocation.

Division attorney Simone Renteria told the board it must independently review evidence and may reach conclusions different from the employing agency. "The legislature ... charge[s] the board and the commission with independently reviewing investigations," Renteria said.

After questions from board members about contradictory testimony—one member asked how an officer who worked in a gun unit could credibly say he had never seen a suppressor when testimony indicated he had fired suppressed weapons during a training day—the board considered whether to retire to closed session. Members proceeded to a motion to reaffirm the previous recommendation for revocation and then took a roll call vote. Clavo, Crawford, Doyle, Dudley (chair), Johnson, Laura and Pena voted yes; the motion carried.

The board’s vote reaffirms its prior recommendation to the full Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training that Walden’s POST certification be revoked. The commission will consider the board’s recommendation at a future meeting.

Details from the division’s presentation, the LAPD materials attached to the supplemental investigative summary, and the board of rights transcripts were cited repeatedly during the hearing. The board’s action on Nov. 6 forwards the reaffirmed recommendation to the commission for final consideration.