City: APD Assistant Chief “no longer with the department”

ALEXANDRIA, La. (KALB) - The City of Alexandria’s Special Projects Coordinator, Jim Smilie, has confirmed to News Channel 5 that the Alexandria Police Department’s Assistant Chief, Reggie Cooper, is “no longer with the department.” Cooper was promoted to Assistant Chief in February. Smilie said the issue was a “personnel matter” and the reasoning could not be released.

Cooper and another officer, Lieutenant Darrell Clark, who was a part of the department’s narcotics division, were both placed on administrative leave on May 22. At the end of June, Smilie said Clark was “no longer with APD,” but continued to call the issue a “personnel matter” and did not reveal a reason why. However, when the two were placed on leave in May, Smilie said the City was looking into “possible misconduct.”

The department’s Civil Service Board rules state that officers have 14 days to file an appeal with the Civil Service Board over discipline or termination, if they choose to do so.

Joshua Dara, Jr., an attorney with Gold Weems Bruser Sues & Rundell, which handled the matter involving Clark for the City, told News Channel 5 last week that “Lt. Clark did not appeal his discipline.”

Members of the Alexandria City Council chose to not give a statement about Cooper’s dismissal from APD following the city council meeting.

The city council said they were not informed by administration as to why Cooper left the department.

Cooper was among four black officers from APD who all spoke to Alexandria pastor and former mayor’s assistant Randy Harris following the Daquarious Brown arrest after a high speed chase in 2019.

Brown has since filed a federal lawsuit in the case. Harris told the city council on July 7th that the four officers described the police department as a hostile environment with racial discrimination and criminal conduct.

Copyright 2020 KALB. All rights reserved.