Former Pine Bluff Police Chief Denise Richardson filed a lawsuit on Monday against both the city and the mayor, alleging she was wrongfully terminated.
The case centers on personnel decisions made by Mayor Vivian Flowers, a former Democratic state legislator. The two city officials clashed over the terminations of police officers.
Richardson tried to revoke certifications from two officers for disciplinary reasons. She alleges her termination was over this decision, which the suit calls an “ethical obligation.” Richardson is requesting punitive damages from the city.
The suit comes after disciplinary issues among Richardson’s employees in the Pine Bluff Police Department. Officer Julie Hilliard was suspended from her post for “ethics violations,” namely, submitting time cards claiming she was on duty when she wasn't.
Meanwhile, Officer Darrian Trimble was fired after a June 2023 arrest. According to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, he used a taser on a suspect who was being handcuffed. He claimed the suspect was reaching for the taser as he deployed it. Later, video evidence disproved this claim.
Trimble had a history of disciplinary infractions at work. In 2020, he was let go from the police academy for cheating before being readmitted years later.
Police decertification decisions are left to the state Commission on Law Enforcement Standards and Training (CLEST). The two officers were supposed to go before the commission in 2024.
The suit alleges Mayor Flowers tried to stop the process in several ways. She allegedly tried to keep the hearings from happening, telling Richardson not to request any more officers be decertified, and even requesting rules regarding "cardinal offenses” change, something she didn't have the power to do as mayor.
Richardson was officially terminated on March 11, 2025, the same day as Trimble's CLEST hearing.
Flowers' explanation of the termination was unclear. The suit says she justified it as a being “without cause,” and “not a reflection of [Richardson's] job performance."
About two weeks later, interim Police Chief Shirley Warrior held a meeting with Flowers in attendance. The suit says, during the meeting, Flowers admitted the termination was related to officers being decertified.
Richardson made $119,000 a year as police chief, and has since been forced to take an early retirement. She's asking for punitive damages from the city, saying her record has been “tarnished” after 30 years with no disciplinary issues.
The City of Pine Bluff did not return Little Rock Public Radio's request for comment.
