Arkansas Department of Public Safety names new chief of staff and chief legal counsel

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Arkansas Department of Public Safety (DPS) Secretary Col. Mike Hagar announced Tuesday that he has named Eric Wacaster as the new DPS Chief Legal Counsel, effective March 3. Additionally, Col. Hagar publicly congratulated Joan Shipley for her appointment as DPS Chief of Staff.

Wacaster previously served as Deputy Director for Standards at the Criminal Law Enforcement Standards and Training (CLEST). Shipley shifted from Chief Legal Counsel to Chief of Staff on Jan. 1.

Shipley started her legal career in 2005 as the Deputy Prosecutor for the 6th Judicial District in Little Rock, where she served for seven years. She managed a significant caseload, prosecuting various criminal cases, including drug offenses, domestic violence, and robberies.

From 2012 to 2018, she served as the Deputy Prosecuting Attorney for the 20th Judicial District in Conway, prosecuting cases in juvenile and adult courts. Her work involved serious crimes such as capital murder, rape, and drug offenses, as well as burglaries.

Shipley worked as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District for three years, beginning in 2018, before joining DPS in 2021. For the past two years, she has held the position of Chief Legal Counsel for the department.

She holds a Juris Doctor degree from the Bowen School of Law and an Education Specialist degree from Lincoln Memorial University. She also earned a master’s in public administration and political science from the University of Georgia. Before her legal career, she taught in Georgia schools from 1987 to 2002.

Wacaster began his law enforcement career with the Hot Springs Police Department (HSPD) in 2005 retiring in 2020, holding various positions such as Patrol Officer, Detective, SWAT Officer, and Training Coordinator.

He has a Senior Law Enforcement Certificate and is a certified instructor in areas such as active shooter training, firearms, operational planning, use of force, constitutional law, and defensive tactics.

After his law enforcement career, he served as a Deputy Prosecutor in the 18th Judicial District East in Garland County, handling various criminal cases. In 2023, Wacaster became the General Counsel for the Division on Law Enforcement Standards and Training at the Department of Public Safety.