Mayor G.T. Bynum named Maj. Wendell Franklin as the new Tulsa Police Chief, replacing Chief Chuck Jordan who is retiring.

Franklin will assume that role on February 1. He will be the 40th chief in the history of the Tulsa Police Department.

“Wendell has a clear vision for the future of the Tulsa Police Department, he is an effective team builder with high standards, and he knows personally the realities of community policing in all parts of our city,” said Bynum. “He is passionate about innovation, and his selfless management style reflects the ideal that my administration seeks to instill in the culture of the city government. I want to thank those who very bravely put their names forward for consideration in a process unprecedented locally in its transparency. Going through the interview process and getting to know each of them better was a great reminder to me of the talent we have within the Tulsa Police Department.”  

Franklin has served more than 23 years with the Tulsa Police Department. During his tenure, he has focused his efforts on reducing violent crime and increasing community engagement and community policing efforts.

“The decision was not made lightly, and I believe that he chose wisely in the best interest of the police department and the citizens of Tulsa,” said Jordan. “Wendell has constantly shown great leadership and command during his 23 years of dedicated service to the community. I am proud to know that Wendell Franklin will not only be the next Chief of Police, but the first African American holding this honored position.”

Tulsa has had one interim chief who was black.

“Mayor Bynum had a difficult choice and a problem we would all like to have – four outstanding candidates to choose from to be the next chief of police,” Tulsa County Sheriff Vic Regalado said. “I applaud his selection of Wendell Franklin. I had the opportunity to work with and for Wendell during my 23-year career with the Tulsa Police Department. He possesses the qualities we all expect from our chief –  integrity, work ethic and strong moral character. Chief Franklin also has the unique ability to communicate and connect with members of all the communities that make up this great City and County. I wish him well and look forward to working with Chief Franklin to ensure the safety and security of the citizens of Tulsa.”

A graduate of the FBI National Academy in 2016, Franklin brought back integral knowledge of social media to the department. Under his direction, TPD allocated money for a Community Education Lieutenant and a community outreach person to handle those efforts. Since then, the department’s social media outreach has grown dramatically.

“As a prosecutor for the past 30 years I have worked with several hundred officers in law enforcement,” Tulsa County District Attorney Steve Kunzweiler said. “I have worked with Chief Franklin over the past several years, and I know him to be a hard-working, well-informed, and dedicated problem-solver for our city. Chief Franklin is respected within the police department as well as by members of the community. This appointment is a proud achievement for Chief Franklin, and I look forward to working with him and his vision in the future.”

Franklin was instrumental in implementing and expanding the Downtown Impact Team, a unit of officers who patrol downtown.

Since then, he has worked with the Downtown Coordinating Council at Central Library to host open dialogues where businesses and employees can reach out to officers and get vital education in regard to law enforcement. Franklin also implemented Cop Chat in the Gilcrease Division, an opportunity for the community to meet with officers and voice their concerns and opinions about policing.

“All Tulsans should know that my full faith and confidence are placed in Chief Franklin,” said City Councilor Ben Kimbro. “He will do an exceptional job. He has done a commendable job in representing his skills, commitment and integrity and emerges as the candidate that will ensure Tulsa continues being a world class city. I also want to applaud the Mayor for his thoughtful selection process and am thankful to have played a small role.”

The selection process for the next police chief began in December of 2019 when  Jordan said he would be retiring in February.

Bynum took seven internal applications and held three January town halls and a public forum to see what the public would like to see in Tulsa’s next police chief. After multiple rounds of interviews, one of which consisted of a panel of Tulsans, Bynum made his final selection.

Over the course of his career, Franklin has been involved in high-level and sensitive investigations at the Special Investigations Division (SID). Some of his most recent work came during the 2019 Tulsa Flood. Franklin was centered in the Emergency Operations Center and operated the northern command post that helped keep Tulsans safe.

“Wendell Franklin has the integrity, experience, and vision to successfully lead the Tulsa Police Department,” U.S. Attorney Trent Shores said. “I’ve personally worked with him on public safety initiatives and can attest to his excellent work ethic, passion for Tulsa, and mission readiness. I commend Mayor Bynum for this excellent selection.”

The selection was met with skepticism by some black community members, including Councilor Vanessa Hall-Harper; State Sen. Kevin Matthews, D-Tulsa; and State Rep. Regina Goodwin.

In a press release, they complained that the selection process was “rushed” and that their demand for a national search was ignored. They wanted a voice in the selection and not a “symbolic selection” of a minority candidate.

“Instead, Mayor Bynum refused and conducted an internal, opaque, non-participatory search that ended in less than three weeks,” according to the press release.

“Maj. Franklin also publicly denied racial discrimination claims by his fellow rank-and-file members that resulted in the consent decree. He has failed to stand up for the families of use of force victims. As a result, we have little confidence that Franklin will address concerns raised by Black and Brown communities.”

They criticized Bynum for a lack of action on racial issues.

“It is deeply disappointing that Mayor Bynum has forced our community into this position,” they wrote. “Time and again we hear calls for the community to come to the table and work with city leaders to drive toward change. Unfortunately, whenever the community seeks to do exactly that, our mayor chooses not to engage.”