Whitfield reinstated

By a vote of 7-0, the Pine Bluff City Council reinstated Assistant Chief of Police Ivan Whitfield Monday afternoon.

Whitfield had been fired by Police Chief Brenda Davis-Jones last Friday following an investigation into one of his weapons being found on a “person of interest” in a homicide investigation.

In order to reinstate Whitfield, the city council had to amend two ordinances which dealt with the authority of the police and fire chiefs to appoint and remove assistant chiefs.

The revision said “because the Chiefs are authorized to appoint, remove and impose disciplinary actions, the intent of the ordinances, the intent of the ordinances is nullified, in that, the Assistant Chief/Deputy Fire Chief are exposed to the whims of the Chief’s, without effective checks and balances.”

Alderman Wayne Easterly was the only member of the council to oppose the legislation, saying he “didn’t see the need for the ordinance” and said it “reeks of preferentially treatment.”

“We have an appeals process in place and it should have been followed,” Easterly said.

After the ordinance was adopted, the council went into executive session for about 30 minutes before returning and voting to reinstate Whitfield.

Easterly did not participate in the executive session, telling a reporter “they had already made up their minds so there was no reason for me to be in there.”