TPD Blog

When Bogus Becomes Real…

After a long night, I was heading back to the division to turn in some parking tickets. While driving along, I heard a call dispatched about "a body in a ditch" just down the road from where I was. We had a few bogus calls like this the night before. But in each case, it turned out to be a prank: somebody put a manikin on the side of the road and covered it with ketchup.

I figured it was probably just another prank, and I could easily take the call, check it out, and drop of my tickets in 5 minutes or less. I couldn't have been more gravely wrong…

I pulled up in my warm car, braced for the cold, and walked to the embankment to where another officer was standing. We approached the lifeless figure in the muddy, icy ditch. It was what we had hoped not to find: the lifeless body of woman who seemed to have succumbed to the exposure of one of our most blisteringly cold nights this winter. We stood there for a moment, thinking about the stroke of fate's hand before us. It was shivering cold, despite our layers of jackets, uniform, and gear. The harsh "smoke" from our breath swirled around our heads. The morning twilight seemed to cast a hush of silence.

How could a person-a human being-end up like this? So close to us, yet so tragically far away. Why should anyone have their final moments in mud and ice? Images of the peril from the Russian front of World War II, when the lives of tens of thousands were lost to frostbite, came to mind. How can anyone who was a friend, sibling, mother, or daughter to someone, stray from us this way?

"I was just waiting for the bus and there's person down there!" the frigid air and my cold thoughts cracked from the panicked voice of the person who made the despairing discovery. Strange how a late bus helped bring some dignity to her as the freezing, restless waiting bus rider paced around to stay warm and happened to look her way.

As I put up the crime scene tape, in my thoughts, I promised her that later that night, I would check under a few more bridges and drive down a few more alleys to keep other from harm's way…as if I could make it up to her.

Jay Chiarito-Mazzarella

RELATED STORIES
http://www.kotv.com/news/local/story/?id=143274

Man who shot new Tulsa police officer handed life sentence

By BILL BRAUN World Staff Writer
1/26/2008

A man received a life prison sentence Friday when he was convicted of shooting a Tulsa police officer, who prosecutors said could have been killed if not for his protective gear.

Tulsa County jurors found Everado Valencia guilty of shooting Officer Scott Osborn with an intent to kill on Nov. 12, 2006.

A bullet struck near the edge of a protective plate that the officer wore with a bullet-proof vest, evidence showed.

"If that trauma plate is not there, Scott Osborn could be dead today," First Assistant District Attorney Doug Drummond said.

Associate District Judge Dana Kuehn instructed jurors that the life term will require the defendant to serve at least 38 years and three months in prison before he could be eligible for release on parole.

Osborn said he appreciated that the jury recognized the seriousness of the crime.

Valencia, also known as Everardo Valencia-Tadeo, also received a 10-year term upon being found guilty of possessing a firearm during the commission of a felony.

The jury acquitted him of possessing cocaine with an intent to distribute but convicted him of the lesser offense of possessing cocaine. He received a two-year sentence on that conviction.

Osborn, who was then a rookie officer, stopped a pickup that was weaving left of center about 1:30 a.m.

The pickup pulled into the Heatherstone apartment complex in the 9700 block of East 33rd Street, police reported.

As Osborn approached the truck, the driver shot at the officer.

Drummond said shell casings recovered in the investigation indicate that Valencia fired at least six shots.

One shot struck the officer in the chest, where he was wearing the vest.

The shooter drove off in his truck, and Osborn, via police radio, provided a description of the gunman.

Other officers found the defendant, who was then on foot, about three blocks from the shooting scene, Drummond said. Osborn identified Valencia as the shooter.

Osborn was taken to a hospital for observation but was released a short time later.

A 9 mm pistol was recovered from Valencia. Police found spent 9 mm shell casings and cocaine in the defendant's truck, evidence indicated.

Defense attorney Rabon Martin maintained that the description of the suspect and Valencia's appearance were significantly different.

Jurors must scrutinize eyewitness identifications "with extreme care," and "there are reasonable doubts in this case," Martin argued.

After the trial, Osborn said the defendant "is definitely the right guy."

Drummond said Valencia carried illegal drugs in his truck, and "the very last person he wanted to see was a Tulsa police officer."

Valencia, who is formerly of Mexico but is listed on records with a Tulsa address, has been in jail since Nov. 12, 2006.

Bill Braun 581-8455
bill.braun@tulsaworld.com

Copyright Tulsa World 2008. All rights reserved. Format differs from original publication.

Sergeant Richard Alexander Promoted to Captain

Sergeant Richard Alexander was promoted to Captain on January 18, 2008.

Congratulations!

Officer Bob Heidlage Promoted to Sergeant

Office Bob Heidlage was promoted to Sergeant January 18th, 2008.

Congratulations!

TAYLOR TO SPEAK IN WASHINGTON, D.C. ABOUT HIGH SCHOOL DROP-OUT RATES

Tulsa Mayor Kathy Taylor will speak today at the Investing in Children: Dismantling the Cradle to Prison Pipeline discussion by USCM President and Mayor of Trenton, New Jersey, Douglas H. Palmer.

Mayor Taylor will follow guest speakers Marian Wright Edelman, President and Founder of the Children's Defense Fund, and Governor Robert Wise, President of the Alliance for Excellent Education.

In her remarks, Mayor Taylor will outline Tulsa's progress in addressing youth and gang violence, high school retention rates and workforce development initiatives. Taylor will speak on a number of programs, including the Tulsa Youth Intervention Project, the Tulsa Achieves Scholarship Program, and the MOVES project. "We are sending a clear message to young people in Tulsa," said Mayor Taylor, "that in spite of your past, you have the potential to do much better and we are going to help you get there."

The speech will cap the conference and will be the second time in two weeks Tulsa's progress on gangs has been highlighted nationally. The National League of Cities also touted Tulsa's progress on a nation-wide conference call last week which also featured Boston, Massachusetts and Fresno, California.

Police drama

By JILLIAN LAND Satellite Correspondent, Tulsa World

Police ride-along offers correspondent a look at Tulsa's not-so-wild side

6:45 a.m. — There is a police car parked outside of my house.

If any of my neighbors were up (which I’m sure they are not, as it is outrageously early on a Sunday morning), they’d probably be thinking, “There go those Lands again.” But they would be wrong.

This is not just any police car. This is John 29, the car of Tulsa Police Department Cpl. Dave Witt, who has come to pick me up as part of the TPD’s Citizen Ride Along program.

The technical term for offi cers like Witt is “seasoned veteran”; he has been a member of TPD for almost three decades, and received many awards along the way. But his biggest accomplishment will be putting up with me on a ride-along today.

With my youthful intuition and his experience in the field, he and I are sure to be one of the most dynamic crime-fighting duos ever seen.

7 a.m. — Before we go out and strike fear into the hearts of criminals everywhere (or at least in midtown), we start the day with a meeting at headquarters.

I am introduced to Witt’s fellow offi cers. There is a briefing on various situations the police are facing, but for the most part, the group seems pretty easy-going, handling this incredibly early morning admirably.

7:30 a.m. — The day starts out slowly, so we head for breakfast. No, not doughnuts — IHOP!

As we eat, I listen intently to the radio, hoping to get an emergency call from dispatch.

Witt explains to me that he is a corporal in the John unit of TPD. The city is divided into three patrol divisions, with four units within each one.

The John unit, for instance, patrols the area from 11th to 41st street from north to south, and from Sheridan Road to the Arkansas River east and west.

While at breakfast, Witt shared some of his philosophy with me about his job. “Crime is virtually always a conscious choice,” he said.

8:30 a.m. — Still no calls from dispatch. Is it morally wrong to hope someone commits a crime?

9 a.m. — To pass the time, I keep quizzing Witt on his role as a policeman. He stresses that police offi cers are not superior to others, just more observant.

“A lot of civilians think we have some special ability to spot things,” he said. “What we’re doing is paying attention.”

9:50 a.m. — I suppose it’s good that the city of Tulsa is not constantly rampant with wrongdoings, but seriously, not even a traffic violation?

9:51 a.m. — Aha! There is a woman double-parked outside of a QuikTrip! I wait anxiously for Witt to cuff her and take her down to the station, or write her a giant ticket. Instead, we go inside and buy fountain drinks. Still not a lot of action, but at least now Rooster Booster is involved.

11:04 a.m. — We head downtown to tour the 911 center, offi cially called Public Safety Communications. This where your call lands if you dial 911. Dispatchers then send out police offi cers, fi refi ghters and/or EMSA paramedics to respond to those calls.

One of the dispatchers shows me around the center.

It is at this point that another dispatcher receives a call and proceeds to make the greatest statement of the day.

“Oh, great, we’ve got a naked guy.”

Apparently, a call has just come in that a man is running around in nothing but a bathrobe, carrying a half-empty liquor bottle. I look at Witt to see whether we can go arrest him, but he’s downtown and out of John unit’s jurisdiction.

1:15 p.m. — After lunch, we head back down to the station, where I get to see the Intoxilyzer —a giant machine that determines an allegedly drunken driver’s blood-alcohol level.

Next to the Intoxilyzer is the holding area, a set of uncomfortable-looking wood benches with handcuffs attached.

Not exactly what you’d call cozy, but if you want to sit in a more enjoyable place, then don’t get arrested.

1:25 p.m. — With all of this down time, I begin talking to Witt about what his career has been like.

“I still enjoy coming to work every day, and if you can still say that after 30 years, you’ve done pretty well for yourself,” he told me.

3 p.m.—I ask Witt whether he’s ever turned on his lights and sirens just to avoid having to stop at a red light. He laughs, and then gives me a very stern “No.” I tell him maybe he should consider it.

4:35 p.m.—Other than little calls here and there, the day has been relatively calm.

Obviously, midtown’s hardened criminals caught wind that today was not the day to mess around.

Then, just as we are about to head home, there is a call! The complaint is about a man hitting another man’s car after allegedly “missing his driveway” while returning home from the store.

This man missed his driveway because he thought it might be smart to drink all morning, then go to the store and buy some milk.

The man who’d had the front end of his PT Cruiser smashed evidently did not think this was such a great idea, and neither did the police. Milk Man, meet the Intoxilyzer.

5 p.m. — I am half-asleep on the ride home. Witt, on the other hand, is relatively upbeat, as if he could patrol for another 10 hours. As he drops me off back at my house, I remark that it was a pleasure fighting crime with him.

He laughs and tells me to get some sleep, but I am way ahead of him. Immediately I go in and take a nap. Dishing out justice is exhausting.

Jillian Land 581-8336
Booker T. Washington junior
satellite@tulsaworld.com

By JILLIAN LAND Satellite Correspondent

Copyright Tulsa World 2008. All rights reserved. Format differs from original publication.

MLK Parade 2008

Identity Theft

Many of the offenders committing identity theft and forgery are drug abusers. In order to finance their addiction these offenders are stealing mail, dumpster diving behind businesses and breaking into cars, homes and businesses looking for any documents or articles that may contain this information. Your personal information is then being used to apply for credit cards, retail credit or to counterfeit checks with your account number.

It is important to protect your information at all times and ensure that any business that obtains your information in the course of doing business is questioned by you as to how they are going to protect or destroy that information once they have finished with it.

If you find that you have been victimized, refer to the information supplied on this site. Follow the steps outlined and keep a personal file on each incident to aid in clearing up your credit. Included on this site are downloadable forms and tip sheets that you may print and use at your discretion.

Identity Theft
If someone has used your personal identifying information, such as your social security number, date of birth and name, to open lines of credit or to obtain services, you will first need to contact all 3 major credit reporting bureaus to place a "Fraud Alert" on your credit report. When you call the following toll-free numbers, this will notify businesses that you may be the victim of fraud. Request a copy of your credit report to review. Contact the following bureaus:

Trans Union:
1-800-680-7289

Experian:
1 888 397 3742

Equifax:
1-800-525-6285

Review all of the information on your credit report and determine if the entry is a mistake or fraudulent.

The following information will assist in investigating your case: a copy of your credit report listing the fraudulent accounts, collection notice or other documents that identify where the crime occurred, etc.

If you feel that you have been the victim of an Identity Theft, contact police.

Fraudulent Checks
If your checkbook has been stolen or lost, call the Police Department and request an Officer to do a Theft or Loss report.

If your stolen/lost checks are being used in Tulsa by someone forging your signature, you need to first contact your bank to close your account. You will also need to complete an Affidavit of Forgery at your bank for any forged check that has cleared. In many cases, the forged checks will be handled primarily by your bank. Your bank will credit your account once you complete the Affidavit of Forgery. They will often send a copy of your Affidavit, along with the original check, back to the business that accepted the check. It is now the responsibility of that business to file the police report since they lost either cash or merchandise.

Fraudulent Schemes

This type of crime is on the increase due to the ease with which funds can be transferred via paper or electronic documents. To protect yourself from becoming a victim, you should do the following:

-Get a copy of your own credit report every six months and check it to make sure there aren't any credit card or checking accounts you didn't open.

-Never give your credit card number to someone who calls you on the telephone.

-Read your monthly statements carefully and report any discrepancies immediately.

-Rip up or shred your old checks and bills before putting them in the trash.

-When you renew your driver's license, don't use your Social Security number as your license number. There's no sense in making your Social Security number too easily available.

-Guard the Personal Identification Number (PIN) you use on your various credit cards. Don't write them down in your personal planner, and don't leave them on a slip of paper in your purse or wallet.

-Learn to ask "Why?" when people request financial information.

A Recipe For Crime

There are times when a bit of jabber can ease a situation. Sure, sometimes just showing up in a police uniform and saying "hello" can incite anger, but sometimes, changing the subject and talking about the weather can calm even the most crazed and enraged.

The other night, a fellow squad mate AC, got a call about a man running around in traffic at 3 in the morning. AC finds the guy-and finds that he's more than a bit drunk. After a routine check, AC finds out the guy has warrants. So for the guy's own safety and sake, AC rightfully decides to take him to jail for the night.

While coaxing him into handcuffs, the guy just starts talking and talking and talking about nothing, and arguing this and that. It's all the standards lines: "I ain't got warrants…I paid those…that ain't me…you had no reason to stop me…etc…"

So to change the subject, I interject and say, "hey man, let's stop arguing…besides, we should be talking more about what to bring to the BBQ on Sunday." Everybody digs food. Food makes you feel good. And if you're like me, BBQ is a favorite topic of discussion. In fact, I moved out West in part because there was only one (lame New England) BBQ joint in my old neighborhood. Now that I think about it, I think there were only two in the whole darn state. Sad.

Anyway, I tell the guy, "I'll tell you what, you bring the steaks, and I'll bring the ribs." A huge smile widens across the guy's face.

We start joking about who needs to bring the potato salad when I look over my shoulder. The good Corporal Ford is standing behind me with a look of shock and surprise. He tells me, "No, no, no…don't tell him that!" "Don't let him bring the steak!"

My first thought was, "OK, he can bring the potato salad." But then I realized that the BBQ was hypothetical and brining a warranted person to jail was real business.

"Should I let him bring the ribs instead?" I asked the Corporal.
"Yes!" he enthusiastically insists.

"Can he bring macaroni salad too?" I ask.
Corporal Ford laughingly replies, "Sure, just don't let him bring the steaks…his warrant is for stealing a steak from Wal-Mart!"

All the mouthwatering tastes of BBQ were replaced with shoe-leather as I realized just how far I stuck my foot in my mouth.

"Did you steal a steak?" I puzzlingly inquired.
"Mmm hmmm…was fixin' to cook it up real good too," the guy salivating-ly recalled.

And with a more authoritative tone, I explain "Yeah…you're not bringing the steak. Leave steak alone. We're keeping steak off the menu and off you're criminal record. No more steak, man. Just cook chicken…"

Yeah, I know, telling someone "chicken instead of steak" doesn't say much for authoritative admonishment.

Officer Jay Chiarito-Mazzarella

The Devil Went Down to Tulsa…

On Tuesday, January 8th I think I met the devil himself. Call it a "rite of passage," good training, or just plain cruel, but whatever it was I don't ever want to do it again. This day was the long awaited OC (pepper) spray day. Every person reading this who has been sprayed in the past or just wants to enjoy the agony of an APO, keep reading.

We knew this was the scheduled day for OC. The morning was all classroom and test review. The instructors could have told us this test would determine our fate and we still would have been just as lethargic. We were as nervous as we had ever been and nothing else mattered. The only thing we knew was in a matter of hours we would be wishing that Jesus Christ Himself could lay hands on us.

Four of us went to lunch before we got sprayed. I wasn't very hungry and I just can't imagine why. I just know that I am SO thankful for the sense of humor of my friends. I haven't laughed that hard in I don't know how long. I think a lot of it was nerves and part of it was the third grade jokes.

We returned to the academy dragging our feet across the parking lot. I tried to keep a positive attitude but it was really hard considering the pain I knew I was facing. Then I remembered the words of my classmate from the same morning, "It shouldn't hurt, I like hot food. I put Tabasco on everything and wasabi doesn't even bother me." You're probably laughing as hard as I was.

It was game time and I think all of us wanted our mommies. The guys that had been sprayed before were the first to be sprayed. So as each one of them runs through the gym they make it look really easy. It's like watching ice-skating and realizing that it's not as easy as sliding across your icy driveway, slipping and doing some kind of hop thing.

I just wanted to get it over with as all of us did. We had to spray each other, which I hated just as much as getting sprayed. It's my turn to spray one of my classmates. Yay for me, I had to spray one of the nicest guys in my class. Spray number one, not good enough; spray number 2 not good enough; finally spray number three was a new can and he got hosed. Man I felt bad, really bad.

Now it was my turn. The instructors were trying to make me mad but the only thing I could do was laugh on the inside. I knew this was one of the worst things I could ever experience. Well, now, there is a twist to all this. After you get sprayed you have to handle a suspect. This means you have to fight, shoot, do something to the "bad guy" after you've been sprayed. OK here we go…I get sprayed not once but twice. I handle the bad guy and go back into the gym where I have to do this all over again (minus getting sprayed again). I finish the scenario by handcuffing someone.

By this time my face feels like someone has dumped lighter fluid on me and set me on fire. I don't even want to think about opening my eyes and my eyes won't allow it anyway. I can hear several of my classmates around me. I can hear someone say, "Just keep running in circles it's the only thing that helps." Once I finally get my eyes open I can finally see where everyone it standing, laying, sitting, kneeling, you name it. I look across the parking lot and see the same classmate who thought "no big deal I eat hot food" kneeling in the parking and, by all appearances, praying. I guess consuming multitudes of hot food really doesn't assist you when your face is on fire.

We tried everything to keep from getting hot and the last thing we wanted to do was sweat. There was no delay in leaving the academy that day. I just wanted to stop burning and I didn't care how. Unfortunately I knew as soon as I got in the shower it was going to start all over again.

If we had to do that all the time I don't know how many of us would still be around. This was by FAR the worst day of the academy. There is nothing like rubbing cayenne peppers on your face and in your eyes. Oh, and then re-activating it when you get in the shower. Priceless.

I don't think I've ever done anything to deserve that, and don't ever want to. The devil can go back to wherever he came from.

APO Amy Hoehner

Medical examiner won't move pathologists from Tulsa office for now

By World Capitol Bureau
1/8/2008 

OKLAHOMA CITY -- The state's chief medical examiner agreed Tuesday to drop plans to curtail autopsies from being performed in the Tulsa office, provided he can recruit pathologists to work in that office.

However, Dr. Jeffery Gofton and lawmakers said if the pathologist positions in Tulsa are not filled by June 30, they will explore other options.

Tulsa Rep. Lucky Lamons said despite the change of plans, he is calling for the state auditor and inspector to conduct a performance audit.

Lamons, D-Tulsa, he believes the Tulsa branch office has been mismanaged by officials at the main office in Oklahoma City.

In late December, Gofton informed a legislative committee that he intended to move the autopsy function to Oklahoma City and only leave medical-examiner investigators in Tulsa.

Gofton met Tuesday morning with Tulsa-area legislators and law enforcement officers to iron out differences over the future of the Tulsa office.

Law enforcement officials were able to better inform Gofton about the impact the proposed changes in the medical examiner's office could have on Tulsa and northeastern Oklahoma, said Rep. Rex Duncan, R-Sand Springs.

"This will give the Legislature next session to look at this and see how we can better recruit pathologists to Oklahoma and specifically Tulsa," Duncan said.

Kevin Rowland, spokesman for the medical examiner's office, said earlier that a few pathologists who are being hired had said they did not want to locate in Tulsa.

Gofton also agreed to halt his plan to eliminate, effective March 31, three administrative jobs at the Tulsa office. Currently, there is only one pathologist working out of the Tulsa office, although personnel there handle nearly half of the autopsies in the state.

When Tulsa police, Tulsa County District Attorney Tim Harris and funeral directors learned of the possible change, they were alarmed about the possible impact on court cases and how it could hurt the families of loved ones who had to wait for an autopsy to be performed in Oklahoma City.

By World Capitol Bureau

Copyright Tulsa World 2008. All rights reserved. Format differs from original publication.

Palmer brings new view home from Afghanistan

By ALTHEA PETERSON World Staff Writer
1/14/2008

Tulsa Police Chief Ron Palmer never served in the military.

Being in the Police Department was all about public service, Palmer said. Four years after he retired as Tulsa's police chief, he saw another chance at public service: the opportunity to serve alongside the U.S. military rebuilding Afghanistan.

"Not ever being in the military, I thought I could still contribute to the operation . . . I thought I could be part of the rebuilding, Operation Enduring Freedom," Palmer said.

He turned down offers by DynCorp Inc.'s office in Irving, Texas, for him to go to Haiti, but for the life experience and the extensive monetary and tax benefits, Palmer chose to go to Afghanistan to mentor police forces for a year.

About four and a half months into his stay, Palmer chose to return home.

Culture shock: The experience of being a minority was different, Palmer said. Afghans consider it rude to make hand gestures while talking or giving directions. However, the most unusual experience Palmer had was the formal greeting: touching faces cheek to cheek.

"I never got used to that, because it was so foreign to me," Palmer said. "The Afghans want to be their own people; they don't all want to embrace Western values, although they seemed to appreciate what we were doing."

The experience brought a new appreciation for Palmer, too.

"Being a minority in that country, a white person in a predominantly Muslim country, you have a better appreciation of how minorities are treated in this country," he said.

Training time When Palmer arrived in the country, he received a gun, a protective vest and assignment instructions. He started work the next day.

"There was no orientation," Palmer recalled.

On the third day, he met the man he would be mentoring, Brig. Gen. Galnabi Ahmadzi, whom Palmer called an "intelligent man" and "definitely a target for the Taliban." The two men communicated through a translator.

Ahmadzi's responsibilities included the education and training of Afghanistan's 62,000 police officers, many of whom were illiterate and were paid the equivalent of $70 per month.

"You couple the low pay with the opportunity to participate in the opium trade, the narcotics trade, and the police equipment was stolen often," Palmer said. "The people had a reason to distrust the police force. There were some that didn't want us there at all."

Although Palmer said he would like to think that people are going to be honest, especially police officers, the experience showed him the need to track assets better and have a better management of officers, he said.

"I've seen a side of police corruption that I've never seen before, so I make sure I examine staff more critically," Palmer said. "I think I came back with a better thought of whether narcotic officers weren't getting sucked into the narcotic world after you've seen the worst of the worst."

Returning to Tulsa: After four months of experiencing a different side of policing, in which police had the job of holding back insurgents, rather than responding to 911 calls or being friends of the public, Palmer returned to the U.S. eight months early.

"I left because I didn't feel I was making a difference," he said. "By the time I was there in 2006, billions had been poured into the training of Afghan police. . . . It all looked the same at the end of the day.

"The Afghan people seemed very appreciative of the dollars spent on them and helping the economy, but the infrastructure hasn't gotten any better, the violence hasn't gotten any better."

Many Afghans expressed a desire to come to the U.S. Palmer said he could see why.

"I came back with a sense of how fortunate we are to live here with the resources provided by the city," he said. "You just can't fathom how lucky you feel once you get back here. There was no freedom to travel about, because of company regulations and the ever-present danger."

By the end of the year, Palmer was back as Tulsa's police chief, but because of his experiences in Afghanistan, he is not the same chief or the same man he was when he left the post in 2002.

"I'm glad to be sitting here in this office, rather than an office in Kabul, wondering if the kerosene heater will work," Palmer said. "The best thing I gained was an appreciation of what we have here in the U.S. of A., and secondly, the choices we have here."

Althea Peterson 581-8361
althea.peterson@tulsaworld.com

Copyright Tulsa World 2008. All rights reserved. Format differs from original publication.

Renters face menace of meth

By CLIFTON ADCOCK World Staff Writer
1/13/2008

Legislation being drafted for consideration in the upcoming session would require landlords to clean homes that were once the sites of methamphetamine labs before renting out the residences.

The proposed bill, initiated by Sen. Roger Ballenger, D-Okmulgee, is still undergoing revisions and is expected to be submitted by Thursday.

The measure is the result of an interim study involving the Department of Environmental Quality and other experts in the field of hazardous material remediation.

The study found that even after a meth lab has been dismantled by authorities, chemical residue on the walls and other surfaces in the structure that contained the lab could have long-term effects on people who later live there, said Bill Coye, owner of Apex Bioclean remediation company and a participant in the study.

Under current state law, a person selling a house must inform the buyer if a meth lab was ever on the property.

Please listen....the latest Street Stories Podcast

http://www.tpdpodcast.com/2008/01/08/rain-street-stories-16/

Child killings high last year

By NICOLE MARSHALL World Staff Writer
1/6/2008

Tulsa recorded 64 homicides in 2007. About 20 percent of the victims were minors.

Last year proved to be deadly for juveniles in Tulsa, a review of 2007 homicides shows.

One in five of the city's 64 homicide victims was younger than 18, including one fetus.

The homicide total equals that of 2005. That is five killings short of the record of 69, which was set in 2003.

The homicide total for 2006 was 56.

The spike in violence against women and children surfaced in the first month of the year.

Some of the juvenile homicides resulted from child abuse, domestic violence and being at dangerous places late at night, police said.

Melissa Schnur, a community relations coordinator for Domestic Violence Intervention Services in Tulsa, said Oklahoma ranks 10th in the U.S. for intimate-partner homicides.

"Anytime there is a domestic homicide, we notice and are concerned," she said. "We did start off the year with a high number of women and children, so we were not surprised to see that trend continue."

Two babies and their mothers were killed in domestic attacks.

"A lot of times children are the silent victims of domestic violence and get caught in the crossfire," Schnur said.

A police review showed that four babies died last year from abuse or neglect. Sgt. Mike Huff described these cases as very tragic but difficult for police to predict and prevent.

Second chance is welcomed

By ALTHEA PETERSON World Staff Writer
1/3/2008

Police chief has lofty ambitions for his 'mulligan'

A second chance at making Tulsa a safer city has come as a welcome challenge to Police Chief Ron Palmer.

"This, to me, is the policing equivalent to a mulligan in golf," he told the Rotary Club of Tulsa on Wednesday.

"My sense is the first time (he was chief), we did some very, very good things. . . . My policing mulligan is another try to hit the 300-yard drive, the Tiger Woods drive to birdie the hole."

During his four months on the job this time around, Palmer has experienced challenges that are different from what he faced when he was police chief from 1992 to 2002.

"We collectively lowered the crime during that period by 8 percent," Palmer said of his first term.

"But some of the things going on in the Police Department (after he retired), . . . I was concerned about what was going on, but I didn't think I'd have a chance to lead it again."

During the time after his retirement and before his return to the Tulsa Police Department, Palmer spent some time in Afghanistan as a mentor for the chief of personnel in that country's Interior Ministry, which includes the Afghanistan National Police.

He also was a consultant to the police human resources section.

Because of widespread corruption and illiteracy among the police officers there, as well as the deaths of hundreds of officers, he grew to appreciate his home country more, Palmer said.

"My observation was that our efforts there made little difference," he said. "If you've never been to a Third World country, you should come home and thank God you're here, because this is the greatest country in the world."

More leadership and skills training, a more efficient online crime reporting system and a reduction in crime are among Palmer's goals for 2008, he said, adding that these goals are time-sensitive.

"They know I'm not going to be here another 10 years," he said. "I promised Mayor (Kathy) Taylor at least three years, so I tell everyone that I have a lot of goals to achieve in a short period of time."

Palmer said he has confidence in the Tulsa Police Department and that it will continue to improve with community support.

"It's a new day, a great opportunity for us to succeed, and I look forward to doing that," he said.

"I ask that you hold me accountable, because I am. I ask that you support us, because you help us."

Palmer’s goals for 2008

Get online system operational: Palmer said he wants a new computer system that will allow information about crime and suspects to be reported faster. He hopes to have the system up by the end of the year, depending on funding.

Create leaders within the Police Department: Palmer said he wants to avoid future situations such as Mayor Kathy Taylor experienced last year, when she had to decide between appointing a new chief from outside the department or one from within. Therefore, all departmental officers ranging from captain to chief will take three one-week sessions, 120 hours total, of courses offered by the International Association of Chiefs of Police.

Secure more training resources: Palmer said more elective inservice courses will be offered to officers of all ranks.

Reduce crime: Most importantly, Palmer said, it is the department’s goal to reduce crime overall in 2008.

Althea Peterson 581-8361
althea.peterson@tulsaworld.com

Copyright Tulsa World 2008. All rights reserved. Format differs from original publication.

Club closed after slaying, police say

By CLIFTON ADCOCK World Staff Writer
1/3/2008

But they and city officials still want to close a loophole that allows clubs to stay open after hours.

A nightclub where three people were shot within the last year -- one of them fatally -- has closed, police said Wednesday.

Club UV employees told officers on Wednesday -- three days after Eric Bell, 21, was killed in the club -- that it would close starting this week, Maj. Paul Williams said.

But Steve Kitchell, who identified himself in a telephone interview Wednesday as a spokesman for the club, said the owners had not yet announced whether the club would shut down.

Court records list Kitchell as the manager of The Ministry of Sound, the club that was in operation at the site of the current Club UV when a 15-year-old and an 18-year-old were shot there in February.

Meanwhile, the city's legal division is searching for a way to keep nightclubs such as Club UV from exploiting a city ordinance that allows them to stay open past 2 a.m. if they are sponsored by a nonprofit organization.

Police say the club is run by Kitchell, a former downtown nightclub owner. But in the telephone interview, Kitchell denied owning the club, saying he was hired as a spokesman by its owners, whom he would not name.

The club is officially owned by the Shark Corp., according to city records, and the president of the company is listed on incorporation records as Kitchell's brother, Joe Kitchell III, who died in July.

Program works on gang intervention

By DAVID R. MILLION World Staff Writer
1/2/2008

What Tulsa Youth Intervention Program workers do in schools, neighborhoods and homes impacts Tulsa police officers.

“The intervention work they do keeps youth offenders from committing more crimes. It’s a proactive approach so police officers don’t have as much reactive work — responding to additional crimes,” said Tulsa Police Capt. Walter Busby.

Supervisor of the intervention program’s outreach workers, Busby said the effort evolved from a grant started in the police department.

East Tulsa Prevention Coalition became involved with gang activity prevention work on the city’s east side in 2001 with the Hicks Park Program.

ETPC, the police department and other entities work together today through the youth intervention program throughout Tulsa. Workers target four areas within Tulsa, two in the north and one each in the east and southwest.

“Those areas are selected based on data collected related to gang activity,” said Alice Blue, coalition director.

“We used our coalition building work as a way to launch many programs from gang prevention to diabetes prevention. We look at an area of the community and follow the issues. We ask what the needs are.”

ETPC’s direction changed from prevention to intervention when state grants began focusing on the latter.

“We hope the state will realize it takes all three to be successful in tackling gang and other problems our youth face — prevention, intervention and suppression,” Blue said.

Suppression involves law enforcement and the court system handling youths after they’ve committed crimes.

Tulsa Youth Intervention Program started in 2006 and works with families, not just youth, said Corinice Wilson, program coordinator.

It started in east Tulsa, and with additional grants, spread to other parts of Tulsa.

“The program provides wraparound services for the entire family, dealing with such issues as education, employment, social skills, anger management and relationships with teachers and law enforcement. It’s a holistic approach,” Wilson said.

Youths are referred from many places, including the Office of Juvenile Affairs and schools.

“Since July, we’ve served 212 youths and during fiscal year 2006-07 ending June 30, we served 300,” said Wilson who also sits on two statewide anti-gang steering committees. In addition to individual referrals, the program reaches youths and their families through many activities.

Examples are visits to schools involving 2,400 students and a community block party at 46th Street and Cincinnati Avenue attended by 500 people.

Intervention program workers conducted several activities last summer.

Among them were youth leadership programs that involved mentoring, a basketball camp and other activities in locations ranging from Edenwood Apartments at 2171 N. Hartford Ave., formally Morning Start Apartments, to Victory Christian Church, 7700 S. Lewis Ave.

Other activities included family strengthening meetings with55participants from 13 families at Lindenwood, and gang awareness presentations at such locations as Kendall-Whittier Community Foundation, Northgate Neighborhood Association and Kipp School and on Hispanic radio stations.

“A lot of people in the community do anti-gang work without being part of an organized effort,” Wilson said. “Randy Gant is one who we recognized at the block party in north Tulsa this past summer.”

Gant, part of a recent ETPC gang-impact panel, said then that he is a former gang member who works at being a role model for black youth. He finished his high school education, holds a steady job and talks oneonone with youths about their opportunities outside the gang world.

By DAVID R. MILLION World Staff Writer

Copyright Tulsa World 2008. All rights reserved. Format differs from original publication.

It's just Pain That Will Go Away

The Christmas break was great. In all honesty it would have been much better if we didn't have to return to defensive tactics after eating non-stop for four days. After talking to my classmates that morning I think we all expected to take a trip to the trash can at some point during the training.

It was actually a pretty good day other than being stuffed from the day before. The morning was spent learning how to handle individuals armed with different types of weapons. I know for me, I was really able to gauge what tactic I feel comfortable with and what I don't. After running around the gym resembling a game of Space Invaders we moved on to handcuffing scenarios.

We returned from lunch and watched in amazement as an APO attempted to pull a vehicle into the gym. It's hard to tell the story and paint the picture as funny as it was without knowing this APO. Just a quick overview: he flies Apache helicopters. It was
a 30-minute ordeal for him just to pull this vehicle in through the gym doors. It went from us laughing about that to imagining him using us as cones in a serpentine. We could only picture us hanging on from the undercarriage with him driving 35 mph around the gym. Ok, so this is probably only APO humor, but it was funny.

After I sprouted more gray hair, the car was finally parked. The whole reason for having the car in the gym was for vehicle extractions. The day only got more entertaining. One of the instructors that demonstrated how to extract someone is one of the baddest people I have ever met. So there sits one of my fellow APO's in the driver seat. This same instructor is going to demonstrate on this APO how to extract a subject out of a vehicle. His lasts words of comfort were, "it's pain that will go away not permanent pain." We laughed too because we knew how bad it was going to hurt no matter if it was temporary or not.

Once we finished ripping each other from a car, it was on to going one on one with an instructor. Sounds like great fun and let me tell you it was. We went through several scenarios with an instructor. In my final fight, my instructor decided he wanted to take the fight to the ground. You learn really fast it's a lot easier to critique from the outside. When you're locked up with someone and there are weapons involved you can only do with what you know at the time. You are literally fighting for your life. This fight ended my day and it was fantastic.

On Thursday and Friday the class was split into two groups. My half of the class learned about the Intoxilyzer (the instrument that someone blows into to determine the amount of alcohol in someone's system). Thursday was all classroom learning nomenclature, affects of alcohol and laws. It sounds boring, but I thought it was actually interesting.

Friday morning came really early. 4:00 a.m. early. My group was meeting to load up in a van and head to Oklahoma City to complete our practical training for the Intoxilyzer. Once the day started, it really wasn't that bad. We took our written test first and then continued on with learning how to run the tests on the intoxilyzer. Along with that we also learn how to complete the forms for the instrument and for blood kits. Once you get the hang of it it's really easy to do. I can sum it up by push the green button, follow the prompts, and wait for the print out.

Even though it was a short week it was a good week. We are so close to graduation I think we can all taste it. We are all in burn out mode and just really ready to get out there. Individual pictures are next week and I think it will be a great pick me up. For the first time we will put on our full uniform and badge. After pictures there will only be five more weeks until we can call the uniform ours.

APO Amy Hoehner

New Style Of Police Patrols

  Reported by: Noelle Newton, Fox 23 News

(Tulsa, Okla.) December 27 

You may see more officers in your neighborhood. Tulsa Police Officers are changing the way they do patrols. Instead of going call to call, they now have the freedom to concentrate on problem areas.

"We need it more patrols officers to pay attention to this area." John Becker has been the victim of break-ins, and he's even witnessed a few.

That's not what keeps him up at night. "I've seen them going down the street at 80 miles an hour, squealing tires at the stop sign like it's a game."

Drivers play a speed game that John fears will bring deadly results. "I'm scared to let them sleep in their own bedroom that someone might lose control of their vehicle and crash into our house."

It could happen. Two drivers have crashed through his fence. The second time he made repairs, he put up a sign.

Officer Tom Bell took notice.   “Simply by being here people are stopping and slowing down."

Under a new crime reduction effort, Bell has the freedom to concentrate on problem areas like this one. “It's getting back to what people refer to as good old fashioned police work." Instead of going call to call officers like Bell will be able to pull away for a few hours a week and work where they choose.

It's taking a proactive approach instead of reactive. "We would much rather find out what the problem is, dig into it, prevent it."

John says his efforts are making a difference. "I'm glad he's there and I hope he's there more often."

This program is still in its early stages. Officers who patrol East Tulsa are taking part. It may be several months before the program goes citywide. You can help in this effort by continuing to call in reports of suspicious activity in your neighborhood. Officers use that data in their new patrols much like the safe city initiative.