Tulsa Police Response To Calls Has Changed
February 12, 2010
It was a sad day when 124 Tulsa police officers were told the news that they were laid off. This was not only a sad day for the officers but also for Tulsan’s. Since the lay offs Tulsa police have had to make changes in the calls they can respond which of course has citizens in uproars. As of February 4, the Tulsa police department has temporarily suspended officer’s ability to respond to certain property crime and report calls.
Tulsa police officers will not respond to larceny, fraud reports, non-injury collisions, forgery reports, burglary from vehicles and other minor property crime reports.
For non-injury collisions when a person is suspected of being intoxicated or if a disturbance or other crime is involved a police officer will respond. The changes are due directly to the layoffs where manpower must be used to respond to higher priority calls and crimes against individuals.
Contract negotiations with the Tulsa police and the Mayor Dewey Bartlett are scheduled for today, Feb. 9. F.O.P President Phil Evans stated this first meeting since the layoff will include critical contract negotiations.
Interim Tulsa Police Chief Chuck Jordan stated that he wants to get some of the 124 police officers that were laid off back to work protecting citizens on the street.
While the police officers negotiate with the mayor, police recruits from Texas are looking at hiring the laid off officers.
The laid off police officers are looking for employment and it is not easy in this tough economic situation.
Former Tulsa Officer Brad Sharpe stated, “Currently we’re being actively recruited by a number of departments that know we are highly trained and highly educated.” Officer Sharpe wants to stay in Tulsa, but he has bills to pay like everyone else and has placed his home on the market, just in case he has to move in order to find employment.
“Ideal thing would be to be hired back but there would obviously have to be some concessions made.” said Officer Sharpe.
Former Tulsa police officer Robby Bowman stated, “There’s a lot of people saying you just voted your job away but I think it would have gone away anyways,” and went on to say, “Everything the Mayor is saying and the papers are saying is bashing the police for not passing it but what people need to understand is that it was 2 separate deals.” “There was so much uncertainty in the plan and no guarantee that if we approved the plan we still wouldn’t get laid off a few months later.”
Interim Chief Chuck Jordan is doing all he can with regards to hiring back as many officers as he can. Interim Chief Jordan stated, “Several things are in the works and I’m not at liberty to talk about it.” “Some of these are long shots but they are long shots we’re willing to take to get our officers back.”
“It’s the citizens, the innocent people being toyed with over a political game that I’m worried about… crime is not at a good place to be losing police officers,” Said former officer Bowman.
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