Tulsa Mayor G. T. Bynum is considering the establishment of a citizen’s advisory board to provide oversight of the Tulsa Police Department (TPD).  The mayor says staffing for this board will cost the city about $500,000 per year.

This proposal is being driven by activist groups who believe Tulsa law enforcement personnel have not acted in an appropriate manner in dealing with certain individuals; lawsuits have been filed, and in some cases, taxpayer money has been paid to plaintiffs to settle claims.

The mayor seems to believe “civilian oversight” will help build trust and develop a closer working relationship between citizens and law enforcement officers . . . But the exact opposite will be the result.  This board will only fan the flames of citizen’s distrust in TPD officers who put their lives on the line every day to protect and serve the citizens of Tulsa.

Does anyone reasonable-thinking person actually believe a civilian oversight board will be looking for good behavior as well as bad?   Absolutely not . . . Their task will be to search for TPD misconduct in every arrest.

The board will have to find fault, otherwise their existence cannot be justified, and they will not be able to continue collecting $500,000 a year for their services.

The mayor was elected by the citizens of Tulsa to be the “boss” of the city.  He and his staff are being well paid to make sure every employee of the city performs their duties in an acceptable manner, and in compliance with the policies established by the city.

The mayor does not need another committee to help him do his job . . . There are already several layers of TPD oversight in place:  The mayor, chief of police, TPD Departmental Managers, TPD Internal Affairs, and the Tulsa City Council.

In fact, one could wonder how this citizen oversight board is any different than the “vigilance committees” of the past, who avenged crime by taking the law into their own hands?

Perhaps Mayor Bynum needs to give this proposal some more thought.