Tag: Police

Stitt appoints interim DOC chief

June 27, 2019

Gov. Kevin Stitt, R-Tulsa, has appointed former Oklahoma Department of Corrections’ Chief of Operations Scott Crow as interim director of the state’s second-largest agency. Crow has been with the agency since April 1996, when he was hired as a Special Investigator Supervisor. Before ODOC, he worked in law enforcement in southwest Oklahoma, from officer-level up…

Deputy Chief Brooks to ABLE post

June 27, 2019

Gov. Kevin Stitt named Deputy Chief Jonathan Brooks of the Tulsa Police Department as a commissioner for the Alcoholic Beverage Laws Enforcement (ABLE) Commission. Deputy Chief Brooks was confirmed by the Senate Public Safety Committee on May 6 by a vote of 10-0 and later confirmed by the Oklahoma Senate in May. Brooks has over…

For police careers, Oklahoma ranks No. 43 in nation

May 16, 2019

Forty-two states rank higher than Oklahoma when it comes to choosing a career as a police officer. With more than 900,000 law enforcement officers in the nation, WalletHub.com released its “2019’s Best and Worst State to Be a Police Officer.” In the “opportunity and competition” ranking, Oklahoma is No. 48. In “job hazards and protections”…

Councilors set probes of Tulsa police ‘disparities’

May 16, 2019

A panel appointed by the Tulsa City Council will meet June 26 to discuss the “racial and gender disparities” revealed in the city’s 2018 Equality Indicators Report. The meeting will begin at 5:30 p.m. at the Tulsa Performing Arts Center. Citizens can make comments at 5 p.m. on June 19 at the City Council Chambers…

DNA field testing passed

May 16, 2019

The use of rapid DNA field testing technology by law enforcement is one step from becoming law. Senate Bill 184, which would use the technology to quickly determine if an arrestee is already in the system for a previous serious offense, is headed to the governor’s desk for review. SB 184, authored by Sen. Wayne…

Cops watch for school zone speeders

May 9, 2019

During the month of May, the Tulsa Police Department will focus on posted speed violations and hazardous moving violations in active school zones (lights flashing) throughout the city. Tulsa Police traffic officers and motorcycle officers will be randomly monitoring active school zones within the City of Tulsa. A citation issued for speeding in a school…

Cracking down on illegal passing

May 9, 2019

A bill allowing law enforcement to use cameras on school buses to track down drivers who illegally pass stopped buses was signed into law last week. House Bill 1926, by Rep. Dell Kerbs, R-Shawnee, and Sen. Ron Sharp, R-Shawnee, requires a minimum ticket of $100 for drivers who break this law. It also requires 75…

Undercover cops’ confidentiality

May 9, 2019

Gov. Kevin Stitt has signed legislation into law to protect the confidentiality of undercover law officers. Senate Bill 679 was authored by Sen. Darrell Weaver, R-Moore. “As the former Director of the Bureau of Narcotics, I recognized the roll of the undercover, covert agent in our state is different than a uniform patrol officer. The…

Editorial: GOP saved the retirement funds

May 9, 2019

If you are a retired public school teacher, you should thank the Republicans in the Legislature for making sure you retirement check is there every month. In 2009, after 100 years of Democrat leadership, the teacher retirement fund had 49.8 percent of the amount of money needed to pay every teacher who was eligible to…

Bynum’s budget includes $100k for a mass graves’ investigation

May 2, 2019

Mayor G.T. Bynum has revealed his new city budget, with is $845,800,000.00 and includes $100,000 for the “first phase” of an investigation of the possibility of mass graves from the 1921 Tulsa Race Riot. That riot was May 31-June 1, 1921, and dozens of deaths were confirmed while most of the Greenwood Business District was…