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Please follow this link for a great video produced by Mike Simons for the Tulsa World "Web Extra" about Memorial Day and honoring Jared Shoemaker.
http://www.tulsaworld.com/webextra/content/2007/videos/memorialday/memorialday.html
Other related links:
http://tpdblog.typepad.com/tpdblog/2006/09/final_farewell_.html
Wednesday night, May 30, 2007 Congressman John Sullivan took a ride with our officers and on the Tulsa Police helicopter.
He enjoyed a chance to see what is going on with our officers and with the Tulsa Police Department. Sullivan represents the Oklahoma First District.
Here are some more pics:
Jason Willingham gives us a refresher course in Child Safety. With the warm days of summer quickly approaching, refreshers are a good thing!
Listen to the podcast here:
http://www.tpdpodcast.com/2007/05/30/child-safety-tpd-talks-4/
Below are the June Car Seat Check Events. Tulsa Police officers and other volunteers will be present to help properly install car seats for children. All are welcome.
June 1st 2:00 to 4:00 P.M. -- State Farm Insurance 12222 State Farm Blvd. (51st Street and 129th East Avenue)
June 21st 2:00 to 4:00 P.M. -- Tulsa Fire Dept. Public Education 616 S. 73rd East Avenue
June 28th 10:00 A.M. to Noon -- Riverside Chevrolet 707 W. 51st (I44 and the Arkansas river)
For further Resources please call (918) 494-SAFE
or visit www.safekidstulsa.com
By BRIAN BARBER World Staff Writer
5/30/2007
An electronic ticketing system that could have a projected $12.6 million revenue and efficiency impact on the city is under review.
"I believe this would greatly improve public safety and have a synergistic effect on our budgetary concerns," Councilor John Eagleton said during Tuesday's council committee meetings.
Eagleton, who previously has pushed to fund additional police positions through ticket writing, brought in representatives of Michigan-based ETC Technologies who have begun discussing the technological possibilities with city officials.
Darryl Date told councilors that his company would be willing to cover the costs of equipping Tulsa police with the hand-held devices and portable printers that they would need, in exchange for a fee for each ticket.
The company is negotiating a similar deal with the state of Michigan at a cost of $10 per ticket, Date said.
As it works now in Tulsa, officers write all tickets by hand. The tickets are then delivered to the court system. Later in the process, they are scanned into a database.
An electronic system would transmit the information directly from the officer's vehicle, and the printer would immediately provide a copy for the motorist.
Date said the company's proposal, with specific figures, would be submitted if the city decided to pursue a competitive-bidding process for the service, which would be required by law.
"The bottom line is that Tulsa would save time and money by abandoning its paper system and going electronic," he said, noting that 25,000 officers in 45 states now use electronic ticketing.
Of the 91,075 tickets that Tulsa officers issued in 2005, about 14 percent of them, or 11,185, were either lost during handling or invalid because of errors or missing information, he said.
By adopting an electronic system, officers could write 124 percent more valid tickets through a quicker, more accurate process, Date said.
The savings could have a $12.6 million impact.
"I think that's a fairly conservative estimate," he said.
Officer Will Dalsing of the Tulsa Police Department's Crime Analysis, Planning, Evaluation and Research Section, said electronic ticketing has been discussed for years.
"Our interest is public safety, and this would certainly improve that through productivity and the successful prosecution of citations," he said. "It makes no sense not to do it."
Dalsing said the $300,000 he's estimated in startup costs has been a hurdle in the past, but the proposal by ETC Technologies provides a solution for the initial expense.
"We've digitized a lot of our other processes," he said. "This is really the last one."
Tulsa Municipal Court Administrator Tony Cellino said Oklahoma City went to an electronic system two years ago with a dif ferent company and has experienced technology problems.
"If this can be implemented here without any of those issues, I think it's certainly something we need to look at," he said.
Cellino said an electronic system would be much more efficient.
"Very few of our tickets are actually lost," he said. "But we do get many that have mistakes, are incomplete or are hard to read.
"I think this kind of system would take care of that, along with being a time saver for officers on the streets."
Brian Barber 581-8322
Copyright Tulsa World 2007. Format differs from original publication.
http://www.ktul.com/news/stories/0507/427224.html
http://www.fox23.com/content/flashplayer-localnews/story.aspx?content_id=E05D90A9-29ED-4B61-A739-E9364E1BF4D2&gsa=true
OK, admittedly, I'm going to rant a bit. And yes, I'm going to rant about driving…
So, I've lived in New York and Germany--home to some of the craziest and fastest drivers on the planet. And despite the rage of New Yorkers, and the +140 MPH Euro speed demons ("geschwindigkeitliebhabers"), they understand something fundamental to driving in modern societies: they know what the heck the left lane is for!
The left lane (in other parts of the world beyond Tulsa) is typically called the "passing" lane. To be completely clear and concrete, it's the lane you drive in to PASS another car. It's the one on the left if there are two lanes side by side in the same direction of travel. It's the ones that New Yorkers dare not enter unless they're committed to driving +25 MPH OVER the speed limit. And it's the lane you don't even dare enter on German highways unless your speedometer has numbers higher than 240 MHP--if not, stay out! [RAUS MEIN WEG!]
However, here in Tulsa, it seems the left lane is more of an all purpose-do-whatever-you-want-while-you're-driving-kinda-place. But truthfully, the left lane is for passing--or turning left. If you're not doing either, drive in the right lane--commonly known as the "driving lane."
To help avoid any confusion, bear in mind that the left lane is NOT for:
Driving slower than cars in the right lane
Keeping the center median company
Having more room to more easily make a RIGHT turn
Cruising along so you don't have to worry about hitting the curb you can't see (on the right)
Eating hamburgers--while supposedly "driving"
Reading the newspaper--while "driving"
Putting on mascara--while "driving"
[All three of which I have seen people do—all while "driving in the left lane"]
Letting everyone pass you on the right
Letting everyone pass you on the right--while you talk on your cell phone
Letting "Santa" on his bicycle pass you on the right (Claiming that you were "so offended" that you could only drive in the left lane is not an excuse or lawfully justifiable reason for driving in the left lane)
The left lane is also not for:
Showing other people that slow-moving horse trailers can fit in the left lane too!
Pulling over to the left because you think the police car behind is trying to stop you (ALWAYS pull over to the RIGHT!)
Slow-rollin' so you can lean to the right with your left hand on the wheel--and still see the center of the road
"So…if I pay the minimum balance this month, I can still buy…"--NO DAYDREAMING IN THE LEFT LANE!
Slowing down to freak out because Chandler broke up with Brittany to go out with Amber (OMG!!!)
Showing the police officer behind you that indeed, you can drive 10 MPH under the speed limit (which you only do when a police car is behind you)
Nope, the left lane is the passing lane--the PASS-ING lane. And if you're not passing, you'd better be turning LEFT. [INSERT NEW YORK ACCENT] Fuggeddaboutit if yous ain't!
OK, so If you think I'm making this whole "left-lane" stuff up, check out the Oklahoma Driver's Manual, which offers some good advice about that big ol' chunk of lane out there on the left [this is the book that you liked when you were eight years-old because it had cool pictures of traffic signs; and it's the book we all supposedly read as a teenager to pass our driving test].
For example, Page 32 of the Driver's Manual suggests: "Don't travel in the passing lane." Confusing in meaning, I know, but nonetheless breath-taking in its brevity.
On page 48, there's another gem of motoring inspiration: "If an officer signals you to stop while you're driving in the left lane, you must still pull over to the right shoulder, even if that means crossing several lanes of traffic. Also confusing, but to clarify, the upshot is: ALWAYS PULL OVER TO THE RIGHT!
And the grand-daddy of revolutionary vehicular doctrine is found on Page 52. Irrefutably, Page 52 has some pretty avant-garde notions such as "Drive in the extreme right lane except when passing another vehicle or to turn left" and the mutinously world-shattering assertion: "You should always drive to the right…except to pass."
I know, these are crazy, just plain crazy tenets of modern vehicular ideology. Marx, Engels, Hegel, Kant, et al. have nothing on this radical way of thinking, nonetheless driving...
But seriously though, jokes aside, drive on the right, pass on the left. The risk of road-rage, accidents, and worse things are far too great otherwise. Keep right, aye!
Off Jay Chiarito-Mazzarella Related Information
(TULSA, Okla.) May 23 – Fox 23
We've all seen the video, officers nearly hit by cars and drunk drivers caught in the act.
Dash cameras are a crime fighting tool used nationwide except here in Tulsa. The Tulsa Police Department does not use dashboard cameras.
Officers are hoping to change this, though. Four officers are testing cameras.When an officer hits the switch to activate his lights or presses the record button, the camera goes back 45 seconds in time and starts recording from there. The video is then transmitted to a receiver, saving what could be incriminating evidence.
Officer Harold Goad has one of the cameras in his car. "It's another tool we can use, hopefully to do our jobs and do it as well as we can."
Goad has only had the camera for a month and already it's helped him clear a false report. "If you have video, very few people argue with video."
But that's just a small use for the camera. Everything recorded can be used in a courtroom. That means a lot to Liz Gifford, whose son was killed by a drunk driver. His picture hangs on the wall at the Mother's Against Drunk Driving office.
Gifford knows more than anyone what drunk drivers will say in the courtroom to avoid jail time. "I've seen them and I've heard them and it's unfortunate."
After the officers get about 90 days with the cameras, they'll submit a report to the department and then it will be up to the mayor to decide whether to buy the cameras.
They cost around $5,500 a piece.
Officers will also test cameras from a different company, so the city will have options.
Officers hope to see cameras placed in 200 patrol cars. At one point, 150 officers had cameras in their cars. Over time, the cameras got worn out and the city did not have the money to replace them.
Copyright Fox23 Tulsa 2007.
KOTV - 5/25/2007 9:41 AM
Tulsa's mayor is considering a strict new immigration ordinance Friday. The city council passed a resolution, requiring police to check the immigration status of anyone under arrest. News On 6 anchor Terry Hood reports officers say it will change the way they do their job.
Tempers flared past the boiling point, as the hottest of topics took center stage at Tulsa's city council.
Dozens on both sides of the issue fueled the heated debate as councilors beefed up a resolution, making police responsible for verifying suspected criminals' immigration status.
"You think the Hispanic community's gonna line up to make that happen if you're getting ready to do what you're doing right now?" said Tulsa city councilor Jack Henderson.
"I think we'd be kidding ourselves if we didn't think it'd have an effect on how they feel about us," said Tulsa Police Officer Jason Willingham.
Willingham says the ordinance could undo goodwill built in the Hispanic community. It could also tax officers.
"Because the fact remains anytime you're talking paperwork process, procedures, it takes time," said Willingham. "Whether that's five minutes, whether that's two hours, what difference does it make? The bottom line is that's still time those officers are not on the street."
Willingham says the added immigration checks could decrease 911 response times. He says it's a lot of work. At the same time, federal immigration agencies haven't shown commitment to rooting out the problem in Tulsa, leaving citizens to foot the bill for enforcement.
"Right now, the funding is not there from the federal government, and I think the citizens of Tulsa County are really going to be the ones impacted by this," Willingham said.
Mayor Kathy Taylor only wanted police to check immigration status in felony arrests. She'll have to decide whether to sign or veto the stricter policy.
Tulsa's ordinance would be in addition to the recent state immigration legislation, and existing federal law.
Copyright KOTV 2007.
Off. Jay has a new podcast for us. Listen here:
http://www.tpdpodcast.com/2007/05/23/a-good-night-for-chasing-bad-guys-street-stories-7/
KOTV - 5/22/2007
The Tulsa City Council debates a plan that would have police checking citizenship. The new policy would only apply when police arrest someone on a felony complaint, such as murder or rape. It would not give police the authority to ask everyone about their citizenship, but The News On 6’s Emory Bryan reports, some believe that would be the result.
Right now the police do not ask anyone about their citizenship, but this new policy would change that. Police would check the immigration status of people arrested for felony crimes, and report the illegals to immigration. The city says it's only a clarification of the law, but minorities say it's racist and confusing.
Dozens of people crowded around the council to watch the discussion, and most didn't like what they heard.
"The Hispanic leaders are spreading fear to their own, that's part of the problem," said Tulsa City Councilor Dennis Troyer.
The mayor and some councilors want Tulsa police to start checking citizenship of anyone they arrest for a felony crime. It's already being done once a suspect goes to jail, but this would have the police checking first.
"And I don't want to be reliant on other law enforcement agencies for what should be done in the city of Tulsa," said City Councilor John Eagleton.
The mayor blamed the federal government for ignoring the immigration problem and forcing local governments to act.
"It's an issue we have to address, but we need to address it humanely and carefully," Mayor Kathy Taylor said.
The mayor said the policy would clarify who will be asked, and who will not. Minority groups disagree.
"It's a very confusing situation, so if it's confusing to us here, you can imagine what it's like in the community," Francisco Trevino with the Tulsa Hispanic Chamber said.
The minority groups question the motives behind the change, and for some Tuesday’s exchange made that clear.
"We have had to come to this to get this kind of reaction to get you people to listen," said Tulsa City Councilor Dennis Troyer.
"When you say "You people" you don't understand what that is," Pastor Carlton Pearson said.
The council decided to put the issue on the Thursday night agenda where it will be discussed again.
Copyright KOTV 2007.
(TULSA, Okla.) May 22 - A warning for parents from Tulsa police. There's a very dangerous drug cocktail targeting teenagers that could soon hit the streets of Tulsa. It's a mix of heroin and cold medicine known as "cheese." In Dallas it's caused 21 deaths since 2005 and a reported 145 arrests in the Dallas school system, this year alone.
"Cheese" is made by grinding heroin with an over the counter cold medicine most often one with a sleep aid like Tylenol P.M. And it’s cheap. A $30.00 rock will get you 40-50 "cheese" hits.
Officer Jason Willingham says, "For two bucks, you can get a good rush on. That’s where the concern comes in."
With the drug reaching epidemic levels in the Dallas school system, Tulsa Police are on high alert.
DEA Agent James Capra says, "We've have some kids using it, trying it, and dying. There's no once or twice or three times. They die. We've had some instances where kids are snorting the drug and they're dying. They're overdosing and they're dying. Period. Goodnight."
And Tulsa officers fear "cheese", just five hours away, will soon be threatening kids here. "Drugs are just like anything else, it moves across the country. If it’s already in Dallas, eventually it’s going to move it’s way towards Tulsa. And it’s something that concerns us as police officers and as parents", said Officer Willingham.
Rick Murray of Tulsa's Recovery Dynamics counsels addicted teens. He thinks "cheese" may already have found its way to Tulsa, based on what he heard from a few kids. "I’m pretty sure they were discussing the affects, so I would have to believe they were discussing having had used it."
Murray also says some kids want to be the first to try a something new even if it's drugs. Experts say kids who use "cheese" come from a variety of economic backgrounds. And they almost always show two warning signs. The first is a change in their sleeping pattern. The second is a change in their behavior.
Dallas police say they've arrested users as young as 11-years-old. Heroin use at that age can reportedly cause permanent brain damage.
Copyright KOKI 2007.
KOTV - 5/22/2007 5:00 PM
Tulsa's new, but temporary, police chief is now on the job. The News On 6’s Emory Bryan reports he’s planning meetings in the community beginning this weekend. Four days after his introduction as Tulsa's Interim Police Chief, David Bostrom says he's already working on new ideas, with suggestions from commanders and officers at each division.
"I've been able to meet the command staff, the folks who run the program as well as the people who do the work, the officers and sergeants who patrol the streets," said Tulsa Police Interim Chief David Bostrom.
Chief Bostrom has plenty of meetings behind him on everything from the budget to moving city hall. He was part of the discussion on a possible new department policy on checking immigration status, and he’s spent some time responding to media questions about the department. He hasn't had time to do much else, he says, besides find an apartment. In fact, the two pictures hanging on his office wall were there when he started.
"I spent a couple of hours doing Mayfest and that's as close to the community as I've been able to get, but I hope to this weekend, it's a long weekend and I hope to get out and meet some community people," Bostrom said.
Chief Bostrom hasn't been sworn in yet, but will be, and he already has a badge but not a uniform. He says he's asked all his officers to come up with ideas for improving the department, with only one requirement.
"Things that don't cost a bunch of money because we don't have a bunch of money to spend," he said. "The things that can be at little or no cost that can have an impact on their ability to do their job."
Even though Chief Bostrom is the head of the department, he's not a certified Oklahoma officer. He's going to pursue that, but says he needs some practice shooting because he hasn't carried a gun in the last dozen years.
Copyright KOTV 2007.
By CLIFTON ADCOCK World Staff Writer
5/24/2007
Sgt. Stephanie Jackson is the Insurance Women of Tulsa's Outstanding Officer of the Year.
Tulsa Police Sgt. Stephanie Jackson will be honored as the Outstanding Officer of the Year by the Insurance Women of Tulsa organization.
The award will be presented at a luncheon at noon Thursday at the Radisson Hotel, 10918 E. 41st St.
"I was totally in shock" about being selected for the award, Jackson said Wednesday. "I do what I do because I love doing my job. I never slow down."
Jackson was nominated for the award by Capt. Travis Yates for saving several people from a knife-wielding woman last year and for her extensive work in planning more than 700 community events.
Jackson was able to draw the woman, who was armed with several knives, away from bystanders she was threatening on Jan. 28, 2006, Yates stated in his nomination. Jackson eventually shot the woman, eliminating the threat to herself and the others, Yates wrote.
"While this incident was truly heroic, it comes short of explaining the actions of Stephanie Jackson throughout 2006 and to the present day," Yates wrote. "Stephanie is the public education sergeant for the Tulsa Police Department, and her dedication and diligence to this duty is seen by not only her co-workers but the citizens of Tulsa."
In the last year, Jackson has supervised more than 700 community events, such as neighborhood meetings and benefit basketball games, and led more than 30 presentations to about 12,000 Tulsa Public Schools students in the Student Crime Stoppers program, Yates wrote.
In the last four months, he wrote, Jackson has put on more than 40 community presentations. He called her an important part of informing the media and public with regular updates on the Police Department's Web site and its new podcast site.
"While community policing is not new to the department, Sgt. Jackson has taken it to another level," Yates wrote. "Whether it is placing child seats in the cars or telling the public how to prevent crimes, Sgt. Jackson is the model that every officer should reach for."
Clifton Adcock 581-8367
Copyright Tulsa World 2007. Format differs from original publication.
By BRIAN BARBER World Staff Writer
5/22/2007
Tulsa attorney Dan Crawford will join the bench July 1. He has previous experience as a municipal judge.
Tulsa's City Council has selected a local attorney to be a Municipal Court judge.
Dan Crawford, 49, of the Elias & Crawford law firm, will assume the bench July 1. He fills the slot that Bradford Powers had occupied for 20 years.
"I enjoy working with people who aren't represented, which is what you get most of the time in Municipal Court," Crawford said Monday. "Sometimes people need guidance as much as they need a fine imposed. It's a whole different way of practicing law.
"I've reached a point in my career where I have the time and the ability to dedicate the rest of my working life to the judiciary."
The council also chose to increase the pay for municipal judges from $72,450 to $84,000, with the presiding judge being paid 10 percent more, or $92,400.
The pay for judges is re-evaluated every two years.
Oklahoma City's municipal judges are paid $85,211, with the presiding judge making $92,791.
Crawford was a municipal judge for Henryetta from 2001 to 2006.
Before he started his own firm with attorney Herb Elias Jr. in 1991, Crawford worked for the McGivern, Scott, Gilliard and Robinson firm.
His law degree is from the University of Tulsa.
Crawford joins Municipal Judges Burk Bishop and Gerald Hoffmeister on Tulsa's bench.
Council Chairman Roscoe Turner said that of the three candidates who were interviewed for the open slot, Crawford was the most qualified.
"His previous experience as a municipal judge was a factor," Turner said.
The council has not decided which of the three judges will be the presiding judge, a title that Powers held.
In a 7-2 vote, the council in February decided to reject the recommendation of the Judicial Nominating Committee that Powers be reappointed.
Councilors were concerned about his demeanor and temperament with some attorneys.
Brian Barber 581-8322
Copyright Tulsa World 2007. Format differs from original publication.
Monday began 4 days of Traffic Collision Investigation. We started with the rules and regulations of the road, touching on the most common citations given for causing traffic collisions. We learned traffic collisions investigations are very similar to any crime scene investigation, such as how you protect and process the scene. The main difference between them is the traffic control after a collision.
Tuesday, we began learning all the physical evidence from a traffic collision. They taught us how to find the point of impact, measure skids of vehicles, and observe the evidence to determine how the traffic collision occurred from start to finish. After we learned how to get the numbers, we flashed back to algebra and plugged the numbers into formulas to calculate information about the collision.
Wednesday consisted of learning how to fill in, sketch, and write a traffic collision report. Since it was our 1st time doing this it took use nearly 3 hours to complete our report. We were told that even veteran officers take some time to do the complete report.
Thursday we got to take the information learned throughout the week and apply it to a mock traffic collision that we set up in the parking lot. We evaluated the mock collisions and took a complete report over it. We were much faster the 2nd and 3rd time we wrote out the reports.
We ended our week with the Medical Examiner. The medical examiner gave us a look at all the things we could see in the field but from a medical standpoint. The M.E. plays a major role in learning about how a crime was committed.
APO Kelli Braitsch
By NICOLE MARSHALL World Staff Writer
5/20/2007
Sex offender risked arrest to move daughter to a safer place
For nearly two months, Nancy Phipps and her 16-year-old daughter lived in fear at a Sapulpa motel surrounded by dozens of violent sex offenders.
That was the only way Phipps could find to comply with Oklahoma law.
Phipps, a working mother, is a registered sex offender. She received a deferred sentence for flashing and soliciting an undercover officer in 2002, court records show. She was battling a drug problem with Xanax at the time and it was her only sex-related offense, she said.
She said that she was not prostituting herself and she does not remember what happened because of the prescription drugs.
"It was not acceptable what I did, but I am not dangerous, and there was no victim. The rest of my life I should not be labeled. I can't even find a home for my daughter or myself, so we have to stay in a dangerous motel or a shelter," Phipps said.
"It is affecting my daughter's life to the point, what is her future going to be like?"
Phipps used to live near her office job in Tulsa, but then police told her she was breaking the law and risked being arrested. More than 90 percent of Tulsa is off-limits to sex offenders due to a restrictive state law that bans them from living near parks, schools and day-care centers.
She tried several times to find an affordable place to live, but each time she was told that the residence was in an area that was off-limits to her.
Phipps then moved to one of several motels along Interstate 44 west of Tulsa. Paying $200 a week, the mother and daughter were the only females living among many rapists and pedophiles who live at the motels.
"I am a citizen, too, and I lived out there amongst them -- real sex offenders," Phipps said. "We had gotten to the point where they were coming to our room. There was a guy with a forcible sodomy conviction who lived two doors down. He was calling our room. He was knocking on our door. We were just so scared all the time."
When the danger proved too great at the motel, they moved into a Tulsa shelter on Tuesday.
"When we moved out, my daughter said, 'Mamma I feel safe now,' " Phipps said.
She was told that a warrant could be issued for her arrest, but Phipps said she had no other option.
"What other choice do I have? I don't have another choice. I am not going to put my daughter in that situation ever again," Phipps said. "I don't know how many other people are in my situation, but I know a couple of times I felt like going underground, too."
Officers Derrick Alexander and Brent Sanders
Officer Craig Murray and Officer Derrick Alexander
Cpl. Art Surrat and Officer Doyle Davis
Officer Doyle Davis
Cpl. Art Surratt, Officer Jason Willingham and Officer Doyle Davis
Photo courtesy of Stephen Holman, Copyright Tulsa World 2007.
More than 15,000 passenger vehicle occupants died in traffic crashes between the nighttime hours of 6:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. during 2005, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) – and 59 percent of those passenger vehicle occupants were NOTwearing their seat belts at the time of the fatal crash.
The proportion of unbuckled deaths at night is considerably higher than the nearly as alarming 44 percent of passenger vehicle occupants who were not wearing their seat belts and were killed during the daylight hours across the nation that same year.
That’s why the Tulsa Police Department announced they are joining with state and local law enforcement and highway safety officials, May 21st through June 3rd, to launch an aggressive national "Click It or Ticket" seat belt enforcement mobilization to crack down on low seat belt use and to reduce highway and city fatalities.
By BRIAN BARBER AND JARREL WADE World Staff Writers
5/20/2007
As a rookie police officer patrolling the inner-city neighborhoods of Washington, D.C., without a partner or a radio, David Bostrom learned the importance of community collaboration.
Now after 35 years in law enforcement, the man who will temporarily lead Tulsa's Police Department said the community approach still applies.
"Knowing the people in your neighborhood makes all the difference," he said. "Over time, you build trust and the community comes together toward the common goal of making the neighborhood safe for everyone who lives there."
Bostrom, 57, was appointed last week by Mayor Kathy Taylor to be Tulsa's interim police chief until a civil lawsuit filed by the three rejected internal candidates is fully resolved.
Police Chief Dave Been's retirement was effective May 1.
KOTV - 5/18/2007 2:07 PM – Tulsa's mayor named a new police chief Friday morning, but he's only an interim, and the search for a permanent chief continues. David Bostrom is already on the job, but isn't sure how long he'll need to stay there. Bostrom is not a candidate for the job permanently, and the mayor might pick his replacement at anytime. But, The News On 6’s Emory Bryan reports, he brings some expertise cutting violent crime to the job, and he knows how to get neighborhoods involved. The mayor says she wanted some fresh ideas for the Tulsa Police Department, and didn't want to wait until a new, permanent chief comes on board. Her pick for interim chief is David Bostrom, a police consultant who rose through the ranks of the Washington D.C. police department and served as a public safety commander in Wilmington, Delaware. The mayor's orders for him: "And obviously we want to decrease violent crime we have in the city, but still nationally, we're higher than we should be and we need to focus on those statistics, people need to feel safe," said Tulsa Mayor Kathy Taylor. Bostrom says he's going to spend the next week working to learn about Tulsa's crime problems from the police and the people. "And sitting down with the people in a community or neighborhood, working with them, identifying the most serious problem affecting that community and coming up with a way to address that problem using the community and the police as real partners," Interim Tulsa Police Chief David Bostrom said. Taylor says she's not sure how long the interim will be on the job, because she's not sure what she can do next on hiring a permanent chief. "I certainly hope to move forward with a permanent police chief search, finding the best candidate for that job, shortly, but I'm really waiting on the lawyers to give me a determination of what my options are," said Taylor. The police union says on paper, Bostrom seems qualified, but after six changes at the top in a year and a half, they're ready for some stability. "The big concern with the officers is just not knowing who it's going to be, they're anxious and nervous about who their next boss is going to be," Darren Filak with the Tulsa FOP Lodge said. Even though he's an interim, Bostrom will be issued a badge and gun and uniform. To see his resume:
To see his Bio: 
A new "Interim" Police Chief is to be named today at eleven. Stay tuned here and I will post a bio and other information as quickly as I can.
Off. Will Dalsing
Officer Jay Chiarito-Mazzarella has recorded a new Podcast for your listening pleasure. Please follow this link:
http://www.tpdpodcast.com/2007/05/15/left-lane-street-stories-6/
This week was loads of fun. On our 3 defensive tactics days we learned how to properly handcuff someone. We got to take turns handcuffing all of our classmates, which some of us enjoyed more than they should have. We also learned some more ground fighting techniques. My body was once again put into some very painful positions. I think only Gumby can be put in those positions and it not hurt. The rest of the day was just reviewing and practicing all the things we have already learned.
The rest of the week was learning and administering the standardized field sobriety tests. Wednesday was geared for learning a ton of information about alcohol. We learned how it effects your eyes, slows your reaction time, etc. We briefly went over the test that we will be performing the next 2 days.
Thursday morning, we saw the demonstrations of the 3 standardized tests, then broke up into groups and practiced the tests on each other. In the afternoon, we got to practice on people who were actually drinking. The department has people, who work within the department, volunteer to drink in a controlled environment. Thus the academy class gets a practical test on people who are drunk or have been drinking. This makes our learning realistic and very fun.
Friday we had to take the written exam in the morning and the practical exam in the afternoon. It seemed like so much information coming into the class on Wednesday but the class pulled it off. We also greatly improved our testing observations on the second day. We would like to thank all of the city workers that took time to helps us in the practical evaluations and the instructors who administered the drinking lab and test.
APO Kelli Braitsch
By NICOLE MARSHALL World Staff Writer
5/14/2007
With 90 percent of the city off-limits, fewer offenders are registering their residences.
A law that was intended to restrict where sex offenders live is driving them underground, Tulsa police say their records show.
About two years ago, the number of sex offenders registered in Tulsa peaked at 540. Now, Tulsa has 372 offenders registered, said Sgt. Gary Stansill, supervisor of the Police Department's Sex Crimes Unit.
But that doesn't necessarily mean fewer sex offenders are living here.
Stansill said a controversial state law that went into effect last year has put 90 percent of the city off limits for sex offenders by prohibiting them from living within 2,000 feet of playgrounds, parks or child-care facilities. They were already prohibited from living within that distance from a school.
While well-intended, the changes to Oklahoma's Sex Offender Registration Act have made it very difficult for offenders to find places to live legally.
"They come down here and give us their address where they want to live, and we say, 'That is restricted; you can't live there,' " Stansill said. "They may come back two or three times, and sometimes they never show back up."
Unable to find acceptable places to live, some of them eventually resort to living in areas that are prohibited by law and stop registering their residences with law enforcement agencies, police say.
This week Rep. Gus Blackwell, R-Goodwell, is scheduled to host a meeting with law officers and legislators to discuss proposed changes to the law. Lawmakers are considering a tiered system that would place different restrictions on offenders based on the risks they pose.
The fault with the current system is evident in the number of sex offenders now not registering, as the law requires them to do, Stansill said.
"We are working an extremely high number of failure-to-register cases," he said, "more than I think the department was designed to do."
Through the end of April, police have investigated 70 sex-offender violation cases this year, most of which were for failure to register. That's higher than the number of rape reports the Sex Crimes Unit received in the same time frame.
The Sex Crimes Unit, which investigates crimes against victims 16 years old and older, has investigated 65 rape cases through the end of April.
Detective Tim Lawson said officers who participated in an Amber Alert training exercise last week experienced the frightening consequences of the decrease in registered sex offenders.
As part of the training, a child supposedly was abducted by someone in a vehicle. In such a situation, police would search the registered sex offender database for a vehicle matching the description of the abductor's.
"But now we only have 372 people in that database to check rather than 540," Stansill said.
The law is intended to keep convicted sex offenders away from children, and Stansill said he will always be concerned about offenders who loiter around schools and parks.
However, research has shown that where sex offenders live is not a factor -- that most of them know their victims and that attacks occur in the victims' own homes, he said.
For example, the serial rapist who broke into children's homes for more than two years before a suspect was caught in February 2006 attacked his victims throughout Tulsa and even in a suburb.
"The point is that we have got to keep track of these people," Stansill said, adding that it is more important that they register their addresses than that they live or don't live in any particular place.
Police hope to convince legislators that while a law that prevents offenders from living near places frequented by children may seem like a good idea, it can have severe consequences.
"Having restrictions that really don't do anything other than make the public happy -- as long as it does not do any harm -- is OK," Stansill said. "But if it is causing harm and is detrimental, then that needs to be changed."
Nicole Marshall 581-8459
nicole.marshall@tulsaworld.com
Copyright Tulsa World 2007. Format differs from original publication.
By ALTHEA PETERSON World Staff Writer
5/13/2007
The people who came out Saturday for a block party hosted by the North Tulsa Community Coalition found more than free food and music.
Most important, the hundreds of parents, kids, police and city leaders gathered at the intersection of Cincinnati Avenue and 46th Street were united as a community, said coalition president Deborah Brazeal.
"I'm ecstatic about how things turned out," she said. "It's a beautiful day, we've had peace, and people are having fun."
Because of fear caused by past violence, the area hadn't seen an event of this magnitude for at least 10 years, said Mike Hill, youth pastor at Greenwood Christian Center.
"I've been in youth development for 20 years," Hill said. "Whenever kids see the real truth, it makes me want to keep doing this."
The "real truth" Hill described was a community united with police on hand to ensure security.
Mayor Kathy Taylor and District Attorney Tim Harris asked people to assist the city in making all of Tulsa safer.
"This is important work that we're doing in bringing back our community, keeping our kids safe," Taylor said. "We are making progress in our city and it's all thanks to you, our neighbors, life coaches and mentors. Let's not let a day go by when we don't try to help our kids."
Harris said even though the event was in north Tulsa, the message must extend beyond that area of the city.
"We will not tolerate the violence in this city, plain and simple," he said. "We need to wrap around our communities. If we have strong families, we will have strong churches, strong schools and strong communities."
The guest speaker for the event, Joseph Jennings, has seen the effects of violence in neighborhoods firsthand. Jennings, president and founder of Second Chances Outreach, said he was shot 13 times while living a gang and drug lifestyle. Now he travels the world warning youth about the dangers of drugs and gangs.
He said it is important to teach kids respect for adults and for themselves through education and working together.
"There's got to be gatekeepers in communities," Jennings said.
Representatives from Tulsa Police, the NAACP and Tulsa Community College also were on hand to distribute information on safety, education and getting involved.
"I think this is the beginning of a lot of change in the community," said Robert Butler, an assistant professor at TCC and coalition member. "We need to pull young people off the streets and change their attitudes. We need to give young people more possibilities."
Althea Peterson 581-8361
althea.peterson@tulsaworld.com
Copyright Tulsa World 2007. Format differs from original publication.
On October 1, 1962, President John F. Kennedy signed into law the week that includes May 15th as National Police Week. Each year this week honors the officers who have been killed or disabled in the line of duty.
The Tulsa Police Department recently changed policy to mandate the wearing of a black mourning band over the badge during National Police Week. The Fraternal Order of Police Auxiliary provided the bands to each officer.
To honor the sacrifice of the 17,917 fallen officers, each Tulsa Police officer will be wearing mourning bands from May 13th through May 19th.
Tulsa Police Memorial Chairman Gerard Stege states: "We are very pleased that the department has made a commitment to support National Police Week. The wearing of mourning bands by every officer sends a clear message of our support to the communities, families and friends that have lost an officer in the line of duty."
By Staff reports, Tulsa World
5/10/2007
The city's Civil Service Commission has ruled that Mayor Kathy Taylor is not required to hire one of three Tulsa police commanders as the city's new police chief.
An attorney for the three candidates -- Deputy Chief Bill Wells, Maj. Rob Turner and Maj. Paul Williams -- said he will seek an injunction Friday or Monday to block Taylor from moving ahead.
Taylor had considered the three candidates, and announced her intention to hire a chief from outside the department.
The candidates argued that they were qualified for the job and the city charter required her to hire an "internal" candidate, if there were three qualified candidates.
Taylor argued the charter didn't require her to hire from inside the department.
Copyright 2007 The Tulsa World. All rights reserved. Format differs from original publication.
KOTV - 5/10/2007
The city of Tulsa could be one step closer to hiring a new police chief. Thursday, the city’s Civil Service Commission will decide whether Mayor Kathy Taylor can hire one from outside the department or must choose an internal candidate. The News On 6 spoke to the Mayor and she says she does not have a specific person in mind for the job yet. Mayor Kathy Taylor says she will wait for the commission's decision and then figure out how to move forward.
Three qualified candidates from within the Tulsa Police Department say the Mayor has to hire one of them or she is violating the city's charter. Mayor Taylor says the city attorney has reviewed the charter, and Taylor has been convinced she has the authority to hire an external police chief of her choice. Right now, Mayor Taylor says Mark McCrory is acting as interim chief while a decision is made. "McCrory is in place right now and will continue for the foreseeable future until the Civil Service Commission rules and then we'll reevaluate what happens from that point."
Mayor Kathy Taylor says the search has been put on hold pending the Civil Service Commission's ruling.
There have been many questions about why the Mayor has kept this process so private, and she gives a couple of reasons. First, the city of Tulsa is using private funds to conduct the search so the information does not fall under open records law. In addition, if the names were made public, there is concern that few qualified candidates would apply because it would jeopardize their current job.
Copyright KOTV Tulsa, 2007.
You hear the call. Another officer on the radio says there’s been a shooting. You drop everything. Hit the lights and siren. Go!
While driving, your awareness and perception expand. All of your senses keen up. Watch traffic. Clear intersections. Anticipate the actions of other drivers—those who know to pull over to the right and those that just stop in the middle of the road.
But in an instant, tragedy can strike. I slowed down for a major intersection. The light turned green and traffic was clear. I accelerated.
THERE! On the right! A lady walking backwards into the middle of the street! She’s drunk and too busy waving goodbye from a night of partying to realize there’s a police car with lights, siren, screeching brakes, and squealing tires heading right at her.
Everything seems in slow motion. Time nearly stops. I can see her walking in the street. She gets brighter and brighter as my headlights get closer and closer. While the "second nature" of my driver training is controls the vehicle, my heart and mind prepare for the worst…@#*%!
This lady will die in front of me on the hood of my car. She will lose her life. And I will have to live the rest of mine with nightmares of her dead body crashing through my windshield.
For whatever reason, miracle, whatever, water on the street, misaligned front tires, who knows…my car slides slightly sideways just enough to pass her by inches.
I’m finally stopped. I look back in the rear-view mirror and see her walking across the street—oblivious. She’s totally unfazed. She didn’t even realize what just happened.
But she could have been strolling along whistling "Dixie" for all I cared. She was alive and after having my life flash before my own eyes, that’s about all I cared about.
I was angry that she was so drunk, smashed, slizzard, ship-wrecked, shellacked, shamrocked, schmaltzed, sauced, schnickered, splotched, spannered, stoked, buttered, bootle-struck, blasted, boxed up, bumfuzzled, bombed, Boris Yeltsin-ed, boiled, blootered, blotto’d, blithered, and blitzkrieged to even notice she walked out into the middle of the street.
But none of that mattered. I was tragically grateful she was alive.
Off Jay Chiarito-Mazzarella
Shooting victim urges vigilance
By NICOLE MARSHALL World Staff Writer
5/9/2007
A man who was shot in his home by an intruder touts neighborhood watch groups.
The importance of neighborhood watch groups was driven home for Ernesto Mondragon on Monday when he was shot by a burglar in his home.
Reached by telephone Tuesday in his hospital room, Mondragon, 56, said that "it is important for neighborhoods in every part of town to have a neighborhood watch."
"Neighbors should meet and talk about ways to keep an eye out for anything that looks out of place, out of the ordinary," he said.
Mondragon is active in several community groups and is a past president and current member of the Greater Tulsa Area Hispanic Affairs Commission.
He would not talk about the specifics of what happened because he doesn't want to interfere with the ongoing police investigation, but he did say that he had never before seen the man who shot him.
Mondragon said he walked into his house in the 10900 block of East Fourth Street on Monday morning and was surprised to find an intruder inside.
Police said the armed burglar was in Mondragon's bedroom. As the homeowner tried to flee, the burglar fired one shot at him, striking him in the shoulder.
Mondragon said Tuesday that he was waiting for a doctor to examine the wound in his upper shoulder and tell him how long he would have to stay in the hospital.
He said he is very thankful for the many well-wishers who have offered prayers and sent cards to him and his family.
"My family and I appreciate the input from the community," Mondragon said.
The intruder is described as a black man, 20 to 25 years old and 5 feet 5 to 5 feet 7 inches tall. He was wearing black pants and a dark hooded shirt.
Anyone with information about the burglary and shooting is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 596-COPS. The Crime Commission offers rewards for information that leads to arrests. Callers can be anonymous.
Nicole Marshall 581-8459
nicole.marshall@tulsaworld.com
Copyright 2007 The Tulsa World. All rights reserved. Format differs from original publication.
FOX 23 KOKI May 9, 2007
Tulsa police are considering a new tool to fight violent crime. Other cities that use it say they've seen dramatic results.
It's called Shot Spotter. It’s a sophisticated software system that tracks where gunshots have been fired within 25 meters.To showcase how this system works, sensors were hidden throughout a shooting range. So when shots are fired, police know exactly where it happened, and they can respond.
Major Julie Harris with the Tulsa Police Department said, "I think we could pinpoint some of the crime, some of the shooters and start to target some of these criminals that seem to want to harm our citizens."
Officers were impressed with what they saw. A shot is fired and within seconds police know about it. Shot Spotter official Kevin McCumby says using the software in high-crime areas gives officers a new advantage. "The dispatcher is able to dispatch officers to a specific location rather than a general area."
That gives police more time to make arrests, get to victims, and convict criminals with evidence they recorded.
Currently 16 cities use it, including Minneapolis, Washington D.C., and Rochester, New York. The cost is about $379,000, which covers a two square mile area.
Tulsa police officials are considering purchasing the software, but they first need to figure out how they'll pay for it. They say grants and private donations are options.
Copyright KOKI Tulsa, 2007.
TULSA, Okla. For the second time, a Tulsa city councilman suggests that the state's second-largest city hire additional police officers that would be paid for through money generated by increased traffic enforcement.
John Eagleton first made such a suggestion last year.
Tulsa now has 815 sworn police officers. City Councilman Rick Westcott says a study by the police department noted that about 150 new officers were needed to be able to properly respond to calls.
Eagleton says that if the department hired 20 officers for traffic enforcement and if they issued an average of 20 citations a day during a five-day work week, at least 11-point-5 (m) million dollars could be generated for city coffers.
That amount would fund about 160 new police officers, Eagleton said.
Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 93 President Darin Filak says the F-O-P does not support Eagleton's proposal.
Filak says the F-O-P supports efforts to find increased funding for police, but not through the issuing of traffic citations.
Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
We started our week back at the Range for a class on shooting decisions. We discussed the physical and mental effects that occur during and after a shooting. We then broke into our 2 groups. One group used the computer simulator to evaluate the scenario and decide the use of force to take in the incident. The simulator is a good teaching tool without being a real life incident. The other group practiced shooting decisions in the woods. They would walk through the woods and shoot certain targets.
Tuesday we went off site and learned how to properly execute building searches. We first discussed different tactical building search methods in the classroom, then went to a church near downtown and practiced the methods with our class. After lunch, we were given various scenarios and searched rooms and hallways. We did a good job as a class but there were a few times we would have/could have been ambushed. Overall it was a great learning process and a lot of fun.
Thursday was our second defensive tactics day. We moved on from the basics to ground fighting techniques and escapes. Thus we spent most of our day rolling around on the ground with our buddy. We also put each other into some painful positions. We finished up the day by sparring with our instructors. We sparred for one minute standing and then one minute on the ground. I naturally got to be in the group with the semi-pro fighting instructor, so I got hit a few times and never once saw it. It was one of those punches that, after he lands them, my classmates go "oohhh" and "eewww." After picking up my head, I screwed it back on and we went to the ground were I did much better.
Friday we did things a little different than normal. We got the privilege of riding around on the evening shift with an officer. It allowed us to get a practical application to the things we have been learning and to ask questions directly to the officers. We would like to thank all the officers that volunteered to allow us to ride along with them.
APO Kelli Braitsch
By P.J. LASSEK World Staff Writer 5/5/2007 Traffic-fine revenue would fund more officers, Eagleton says City Councilor John Eagleton again has suggested that the city pay for additional police officers through revenue generated by increased traffic tickets. "I realize that suggesting we pay for police by traffic fines is a slippery slope," Eagleton said during a council committee meeting earlier this week. "I realize we can't have a traffic ticket handed out to everyone every day, but there are plenty of speeders that need to be slowed down, plenty of red-light runners that need to be stopped and plenty of reckless drivers that need to be curbed," he said. The collateral benefits would be that police occasionally would arrest someone with an outstanding felony warrant, take uninsured vehicles off the street and detain people with invalid driver's licenses. According to the councilor's calculations, if 20 new police officers were hired and assigned to traffic safety enforcement and if they each issued 20 citations daily for five days a week, with $120 minimum fines, the officers would generate at least $11.5 million. Eagleton said the revenue would fund about 160 new officers and the city would have "streets that are substantially safer." "I have yet to find a reason that this is not a good idea, and if someone can tell me why it shouldn't be done or wouldn't work, I'm all ears," Eagleton said about his suggestion, which he originally offered up last year. Eagleton again spoke about Tulsa having some of the most dangerous intersections in the nation and traffic accidents involving speed being the leading cause of death for teenagers. He also said the average vehicular accident cost $12,500. Budget Director Pat Connelly said fine revenue is up this year with the city likely to receive $1 million more than last year's collection of $8.7 million. The fiscal year ends June 30. Darin Filak, president of Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 93, said the FOP does not support Eagleton's suggestion. "Contrary to public belief, we don't like writing tickets to everyone. But as part of our job, it's a necessary evil," he said. Filak said the FOP supports any effort to find funding sources for additional police officers. "However, saying they're going to be funded by citations issued to citizens just doesn't sit well with us," he said. Eagleton's suggestion came during a discussion led by Councilor Rick Westcott, who wants the council to review whether the Police Department's authorized number of 780 sworn officers should be increased, and if so, how the city would fund additional officers. The city currently has 815 officers with an attrition rate of about 36 officers a year, he said. Westcott said a manpower study conducted by the Police Department indicated a need to increase the force with about 150 officers to properly respond to calls and to facilitate a proactive, community-based policing program. Westcott said the Police Department's authorized number has been about 780 for 30 years. He said the study also indicated that for every dollar added to increase the number of police officers, it would reduce the cost of crime by $4.10. Several councilors supported Westcott's suggestion to examine whether the authorized number of officers should be increased and how to fund such a move. Eagleton received no comments from other councilors on his idea to do it by issuing more tickets. P.J. Lassek 581-8382 Copyright Tulsa World 2007. Format differs from publication.
In cooperation with the Citizen's Crime Commission, the CRCP has begun.
To HEAR how it works please click the link to our Podcast site. You can hear the program explained by Tulsa Police Major Paul Williams: http://www.tpdpodcast.com/
Following is a news story also explaining the program.
Continue reading "Tulsa Police Launch Confidential Reliable Citizen Program (CRCP)" »
By BARBARA HOBEROCK World Capitol Bureau
5/4/2007
Oklahoma Women in Law Enforcement honors Officers Robin Mendenhall and Danielle Bishop.
OKLAHOMA CITY -- Oklahoma Women in Law Enforcement on Thursday honored two Tulsa police officers.
Officer Robin Mendenhall received the Commissioned Woman of the Year Award.
Officer Danielle Bishop received the Bull Dog Award.
Mendenhall, 29, was honored for pulling a woman out of the line of fire after the woman had been shot several times in 2005.
"I needed to get her to safety," Mendenhall said.
The most rewarding part of police work is getting a dangerous person off of the street and preventing people from being crime victims or getting hurt, she said.
Mendenhall, an officer with Uniform Division North, has been with the Tulsa Police Department for about five years.
She is a graduate of Booker T. Washington High School and Northeastern State University, where she received a bachelor's degree in criminal justice.
Bishop has been with the Tulsa Police Department for 13 years. She is assigned to the Special Investigations Division's Vice Unit.
During 2006, she and her partner were responsible for 146 felony drug arrests, and they seized 16.67 pounds of marijuana, $4,745 worth of cocaine, $50,825 worth of methamphetamine and $60,760 in drug proceeds.
Bishop, 35, graduated high school in Edmond in 1989 and received a bachelor's degree in criminal justice and sociology from Missouri Southern State University in Joplin, where she played volleyball.
Bishop said it means a lot to be nominated for an award by her co-workers.
She said police work has afforded her the opportunity to see a side of life most people never get to see.
People really don't have a concept of the dangers that officers face every day, Bishop said.
"It changes you," she said. "You look at things a different way."
Acting Police Chief Mark McCrory, who attended the awards ceremony in Oklahoma City, said, "Having two in our department honored by a statewide organization shows the quality of personnel we have."
Copyright 2007 The Tulsa World. All rights reserved. Format differs from original publication
KOTV - 5/1/2007
In 2004, Walter Helmerich donated money to the Tulsa Police Department for 100 rifles. The fear at the time was street officers were out-gunned and didn't always have time for the SWAT team to get there, but News On 6 crime reporter Lori Fullbright reports there was no money in the budget for additional weapons, so when Helmerich asked police Chief Dave Been what was needed, Been asked him for the .233-caliber rifles.
A gunfight with Los Angeles Police and bank robbers in 1997 made police officers all over the country, including in Tulsa, sit up and take notice. The officers were badly outgunned, especially with the robbers using armor piercing rounds.
Tulsa Police say their AR15 rifles were just the ticket to ensure at least 100 street officers would have enough firepower in fast moving, active shooter situations.
"One of the biggest advantages to having patrol rifles in the field is the ability to maintain distance, be further away and still take a surgical shot when needed," said Tulsa Police Sgt Mike Eckert.
The handguns are less accurate from a distance, and distance equals safety for officers facing a life and death situation. Police say they are seeing more situations like this, so having some of these guns on the streets, is better.
"Especially in hostage scenario, you're looking for windows of opportunity to stop the threat at the earliest possible moment, and when officers have to wait for additional people and people with different weapons, it's obviously more of a danger to citizens and officers," said Eckert.
Many officers are also issued shotguns, but even the one ounce slugs wouldn't be precise enough in a case when an officer must hit the target, while also avoid hurting the hostage.
Officers are even more appreciative that they have these weapons, knowing they were donated by a concerned citizen.
Copyright KOTV, 2007.
Story By: Jace Verhoeven, KOKI Fox 23
(TULSA, Okla.) May 1 - Researchers estimate illegal immigrants cost every Oklahoman an extra $60.00 a year. For a family of four, that's $240.00.The Federation for American Immigration Reform says that's the cost we pay for ER visits, schooling and prison time for illegal immigrants.
Oklahoma's legislature proposed one solution to the problem: The Oklahoma Taxpayer and Citizen Protection Act. If the governor signs the bill into law, jails must notify immigration officials anytime they have a suspected illegal immigrant behind bars.
But the FOX23 Solving Problems Team found out, even if that happens there's no guarantee immigration officials will do anything.
"My oldest son runs into the house and says ‘Haley got hit by a car’." Tammy Melton describes it as one of the scariest days for her and her daughter. "This bone right here was bruised and my ankles were cracked."
What caused the injuries? An illegal immigrant crashed into 8-year-old Haley while she was riding her bike. She was pinned underneath his car.
"He had started screaming at me in Spanish and then yanked me out and yanked my bike out and then he just left," Haley said.
Haley went to the emergency room, but what angers her mother is that she says police told her the driver wouldn't be deported.
Officer Jason Willingham with the Tulsa Police Department says officers’ hands are tied when it comes to deporting illegals. "They have to abide by the same laws as you and I do. When it comes to federal laws, we do not have the power at this point to place immigration holds on anybody."
Instead, TPD notifies immigration officials. But Willingham admits officers only do that when arresting someone, not during routine traffic stops or accidents.
The new law wouldn't force TPD to change its policy. It would require jails to alert government agents about illegals, but nothing guarantees the government will deport those aliens. So how does the government decide who gets deported from our city and country? FOX23 got some answers at the regional office in Dallas.
Immigration officer Nuria Prendes said, "My office, the Dallas field office, we put a detainer on everyone that we identify to be illegal."
Nuria says that's only the case when her office is called during a workday. The difference is after hours, calls don't go to the office in Dallas. Instead they are routed to a national call center in Vermont, where the policy is very different.
"They are looking at national security, is it a threat to national security? Is the individual a violent criminal, is this individual a criminal. They are going down the list and trying to determine where they fall in terms of their resources. They can't place a detainer on everybody they get, they just can't", Nuria said.
She says they are simply too busy. And that means, even though police have discovered illegal aliens, they might be set free.
KOTV - 5/2/2007
Tulsa Police prepare to get a new patrol unit on the road. Training began Wednesday for the TPD Bike Patrol which will patrol downtown Tulsa. Instructors say in many situations these officers are more effective than those in patrol cars. Officers call it a new spin on the old foot beat. The News On 6’s Heather Lewin reports soon they'll be hitting the streets, sidewalks and stairs near you.
"There are situations, a downtown or park situation that we can get somewhere faster than a person in a car," said Police Officer Jason Kitch.
The officers have gone through 16 hours of training, just on the first day, from braking, speed and rough terrain, to capturing a suspect.
"If we're chasing someone on foot, we're gonna get tired, just as quickly as they are, but if we're on a bike we can keep up with them, hardly working at all, we wait until they get tired out and take them down," said Kitch.
TPD has had some officers on bikes in the past, but officials say this is a new organized group focusing on downtown. For now, they'll be called out on special events or large gatherings of people, although the department hopes to make them full-time. Officers say the bikes are especially effective at night.
"These are silent. You can sneak up," said Kitch. "They will never know you're there, whereas in a car, they'll hear the motor, squeaking brakes and they're gonna be looking for that. They're not gonna be looking for somebody on a bike."
One of the biggest challenges is outdated equipment. Officials say the bikes they have are so old that for Wednesday’s training, officers brought their own from home. But help is on the way. Downtown businesses have pooled together a $12,000 donation to buy new bikes for the unit.
Copyright KOTV, 2007.
Tulsa Police Officer Robin Mendenhall is to be honored tomorrow, May 3rd 2007, as the Outstanding Commissioned Officer for 2007.
The Oklahoma Women in Law Enforcement organization selected Officer Mendenhall after she received the Tulsa Police Department Medal of Valor and based on her subsequent nomination for the award.
A luncheon will take place at the Clarion Meridian Convention Center, 737 S. Meridian, Oklahoma City at 1:00 P.M.
We are very proud of Robin and wish to congratulate her for being chosen.
KOTV - 4/30/2007
The Code of street criminals are making it tougher to crack down on crime. Don’t snitch is the warning on the streets, and News On 6 crime reporter Lori Fullbright reports that attitude has now moved from the streets into popular culture.
Songs, videos and clothing proclaim, ‘Don't snitch!’
Police say without information, it's tough to cut down on crime. They point to three types of people who refuse to cooperate, those who don't want the hassle of getting involved, those who are genuinely scared and those who won't help, even if their relative is murdered.
A dozen people were recently shot in Tulsa's Crawford Park when someone fired a gun from a car and another person fired from the park with both a 9-milimeter and a shotgun. Yet, with 200 people there, police can't get anyone to admit they saw anything.
"I feel like there are people in the community that know information about the shootings at Crawford Park that are not coming forward," said Tulsa Police Sergeant Van Ellis.
Police believe that because officers found crime scene photos posted on MySpace pages, one has a cap
