A spokesperson for the Fort Smith Police Department said an internal investigation is underway after a local citizen posted what could be considered an inappropriate action involving a dispatcher for the FSPD over the weekend.
FSPD public information officer Aric Mitchell sent out the following email to press and media on Tuesday morning:
"Over the weekend, Fort Smith Chief of Police Danny Baker was made aware of a call in which an FSPD Dispatcher allegedly used offensive and inappropriate language in the background of a non-emergency call.
The caller was contacted and chose not to file a formal complaint against the Dispatcher; however, the reported language was troubling and unbecoming of a public servant.
Therefore, Chief Baker has ordered an internal investigation on this personnel matter. If the complaint holds merit, appropriate disciplinary action will be taken and made available for public review."
Below is a copy of the Facebook post as it appeared over the weekend;
The social media comments referenced the drowning of Fort Smith citizen Debbie Stevens, which garnered nationwide attention after former FSPD dispatcher Donna Reneau was "callous and inappropriate" during a 911 call.
Reneau was never charged, and the Fort Smith Police Department later announced that she had been cleared of any wrongdoing after an internal probe,
Reneau, who had reportedly given her notice before the incident happened, left the FSPD shortly after the incident occurred.
