SEMO Chief of Police Charged for Alleged Cheating During POST Exam
Chief of Police for the Southeast Missouri State University’s campus police, Dr. Richard Flotron, was charged on June 17 with allegations of helping SEMO police academy students cheat on their Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) exam. Flotron is being charged with two counts of a class D felony for forgery and two class B misdemeanors for unauthorized use of testing materials. For a one-class D felony, a defendant can receive up to seven years of prison time, and a class B misdemeanor can face up to six months in jail. According to the Missouri Department of Public Safety, POST is a regulatory program responsible for licensing peace officers as well as “licensing law enforcement basic training centers, basic training instructors, approves law enforcement training curricula, and provides staff support for the Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Commission.” The probable cause statement says students who took the online POST exam with Flotron were interviewed and alleged that he altered an exam by changing answers before it was submitted. Others reported overhearing him make comments to students during the exam, including statements such as, "I don't know if I would pick that one." In the probable cause statement, Flotron denies giving any answers during the exam and said he never manually changed any answers on an exam. Flotron claimed that while some cadets asked him for clarification on questions, he never gave away any answers. However, he did say he probably submitted a cadet’s test because the student was “scared to submit it himself.” Additionally, the statement claims that several cadets came up to him to submit their exam and spent an extended amount of time with him, up to 22 minutes. When asked why he had control over the cadets’ laptops during that time, Flotron said he did not give out answers, hints, or any information to help the students score on the exam other than reframing a question for clarity. According to the statement, “Dr. Flotron could not give a good answer on why cadets were with him for an extended amount of time and why he had control of their laptops.” "The integrity of Missouri's peace officer certification process is fundamental to maintaining public trust in law enforcement," said Cape Girardeau County Prosecuting Attorney Mark Welker. "Individuals seeking certification as peace officers must complete the POST examination in accordance with Missouri law and established testing procedures. When credible allegations arise that call the integrity of that process into question, they must be thoroughly investigated." Flotron started at the university in the summer of 2024, and the academy had started reporting to him a year later. Flotron, a SEMO alumnus, started his career working as an immigration agent in Detroit, Michigan. Later, he went to the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office until 2002, when he started working at Mineral Area College. According to previous reporting from the Southeast Arrow, Flotron always aimed to return to SEMO. According to a press release issued by Southeast Missouri State University, Captain Jason Morgan is currently serving as the interim University Chief of Police. “The University remains disappointed by the actions taken by some individuals during the administration of the December 2025 POST exam,” said University President Dr. Brad Hodson. “Their actions do not represent the high standards SEMO holds all faculty, staff, and students to, nor does it represent how seriously we take our role in educating the next generation of law enforcement professionals.” EDITOR'S NOTE: According to the press release, SEMO followed the disciplinary actions recommended after the investigation, and Flotron's employment with the university has been terminated. Morgan has been acting as interim police chief since April 30.
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