POST advisory board reaffirms recommendation to seek revocation of former LAPD detective's certification

The advisory board to the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) on Thursday voted to reaffirm its prior recommendation that the commission consider revoking the POST certificate of former Los Angeles Police Department Detective Luke Baxter Walden.

At a meeting called to order at 10:03 a.m. in West Sacramento, law enforcement consultant William Emboden presented a supplemental investigative summary in POST case 2306324, telling the board the division found "clear and convincing evidence" that Walden purchased an illegal firearm silencer marketed as a fuel filter and was dishonest in his statements to investigators and at a board-of-rights hearing. "The division recommends that respondent's POST certification be revoked or suspended," Emboden said during the presentation.

The matter was previously heard by the advisory board on July 16, 2025; the commission reviewed the board's recommendation on Sept. 10, 2025 and directed staff to obtain additional records. Emboden said the newly obtained materials — including the LAPD internal affairs report (CF21-001144), board-of-rights decision rationales and transcripts, ATF bulletins, and photographs of the seized item and packaging — "strengthened the division's allegations" and clarified why LAPD did not add a formal dishonesty allegation in its IA report.

Emboden described investigatory facts the division relied on: U.S. Customs and Border Protection intercepted a package at Los Angeles International Airport on April 22, 2021, that was labeled as a "fuel filter" but contained an item the LAPD criminalist determined to be a firearm silencer; a PayPal transaction dated March 17, 2021, for $45.96 tracked to Walden's account; and department computer searches that included queries for silencers and related items. Emboden also cited board-of-rights testimony that, in his view, contradicts Walden's earlier denials that he had seen or handled suppressors.

Walden's counsel, Leslie Wilcox, told the board she did not believe the supplemental record established dishonesty under POST's clear-and-convincing standard. "I don't think that even with the board transcripts that you have, that you have evidence that Detective Walden was intentionally lying or misleading," Wilcox said, adding that Walden pleaded no contest at a criminal proceeding to a misdemeanor and that the board-of-rights penalty rationale characterized the purchase as a mistake.

Simone Renteria, an attorney with the division's legal affairs bureau, reminded the board that POST and the commission "are not bound by decisions made by employing agencies" and that the statute requires independent review of investigations for the grounds enumerated in law. Renteria said the division applied that independent review when it recommended the board reconsider its earlier revocation recommendation.

Board members asked questions about credibility and training. A member identified as Laura, who said she has 26 years of policing experience, questioned the plausibility of a gun-unit detective saying he had "never seen" a suppressor after participating in training where suppressed weapons were fired. Defense counsel and staff exchanged clarifying points about whether the item Walden ordered differed from what was delivered and whether additional purchases were meant to create an alibi.

After discussion, Member Doyle moved to reaffirm the advisory board's prior recommendation to revoke Walden's POST certificate; the motion was seconded. In a roll-call vote, members Clavo, Crawford, Doyle, Dudley, Johnson, Laura and Pena voted "aye." The chair announced the motion carried and the board's recommendation was reaffirmed.

The board's action is advisory: any final determination on revocation or suspension will follow procedures before the commission and may include a full evidentiary hearing before an administrative law judge. The advisory board adjourned and indicated it will reconvene in February.

Sources: presentation and discussion at the POST advisory board hearing, Nov. 6, 2025, including statements by law enforcement consultant William Emboden, defense counsel Leslie Wilcox, and attorney Simone Renteria.