Black River Technical College (BRTC) is pleased to announce Heath Helton, Director of the State of Arkansas Commission on Law Enforcement Standards and Training (CLEST), will serve as keynote speaker for the Fall 2026-B Law Enforcement Training Academy (LETA) graduation. The ceremony will be held Friday, November 13, 2026, at 10 a.m. in the Randolph County Development Center on the Pocahontas campus.

Director Helton was appointed to lead CLEST in July 2026 following his retirement as Chief of Little Rock Police Department (LRPD). His 30-year career with LRPD included service as a patrol office and detective as well as assignments as Recruit Training Sergeant and SWAT Sergeant. During seven years in a command role, he served as Special Operations Division Commander and Training Division Commander. He then served three and a half years as LRPD Chief.

BRTC’s Law Enforcement Training Academy works closely with CLEST, which sets the standards and oversees training for law enforcement officers across Arkansas.

The graduation ceremony is open to the public. It will also be livestreamed on the Black River Technical College Law Enforcement Training Academy Facebook page for those unable to attend in person.

Visit the BRTC LETA page for more information about the program.