Broken Arrow Police Chief Lance Arnold was placed on paid leave on Oct. 14, 2023, after a March 2023 warrantless arrest was found to violate the department’s OPS 120 policy, according to the Broken Arrow Sentinel.
The incident involved two BAPD officers who entered a home’s threshold and arrested a suspect during a felony domestic‑violence call. Arnold later admitted in an email obtained by KOTV that the arrest conflicted with OPS 120, which governs searches, seizures and warrantless arrests. He wrote that the department was transitioning to Lexipol policies, which are drafted by attorneys and public‑safety experts, and suggested the violation was a “training failure” rather than a disciplinary matter.
City Manager Michael Spurgeon and other administrators disagreed with Arnold’s assessment. On the same day Arnold was placed on leave, Spurgeon ordered Acting Police Chief Scott Bennett to issue a memo rescinding Arnold’s email and directing officers to follow OPS 120. The memo warned that leaving Arnold’s message unanswered would undermine the policy and leave officers without clear guidance in “situations where the line is bright and the consequences are serious.”
Arnold’s attorney, D. Mitchell Garrett Jr., said the department retrained its officers on warrantless arrests and entries after the review, with the city’s legal department approving the training and a city attorney in attendance. Garrett noted that the city’s directive rescinding Arnold’s email arrived six months after the original message.
Garrett also said Arnold will attend an interview with city officials and answer questions, but the city has declined to provide further details about the allegations or the policies at issue, and will not allow the attorney to attend the interview. He emphasized the need for a fair process, stating, “A fair process tells the person being investigated what he is answering for.”
Arnold, who has not discussed the specifics of the arrest, expressed a desire to return to work after a “fair investigation.” He reiterated that officers deserve clear direction on Fourth‑Amendment issues and that the retraining was intended to address any policy‑practice misalignment.
What’s next: Arnold is scheduled to meet with city officials for an interview, after which the city will determine whether disciplinary action is warranted. The department will continue to enforce OPS 120 while the investigation proceeds.
Sources: basentinel.com
