DEON HAMPTON World Staff Writer
Saturday, December 20, 2008
The Tulsa Police Academy graduated 14 cadets on Friday, putting a fresh crop of officers on the city streets. "This is another chapter of TPD history being made," Police Chief Ron Palmer told about 350 law enforcement officers, family members and friends of the recruits.
Calling the Tulsa Police Department one of the finest in the nation, Palmer said the new officers will go to work fighting crime and protecting people. Officer Donnie R. Johnson, a former University of Tulsa wide receiver, and Officer Jackie L. Keeler, who spent five years as a Hillcrest Medical Center volunteer assisting with child-abuse prevention, sat beside each other during the graduation ceremony.
Both said they waited a long time to become Tulsa police officers.
"I have a videotape from a high school homecoming where I said I wanted to become a police officer," Johnson said after the graduation.
"Back then I wanted to be an officer because I liked danger," he said. "Now I want to help prevent gang violence, and I think safety first."
Keeler said defending people comes naturally. "I've always had to protect my family and others," she said.
The recruits started the 25-week academy in July. They completed more than 957 hours of instruction, which included training in the law, firearms, defensive tactics, driver training, report writing and officer survival, as well as psychological evaluations.
The new officers will start their law enforcement careers with a 16-week field-training program at each of the department's three patrol divisions.
Cpl. B.K. Smith warned the graduates about what they will soon face. "You're going to see things that make you mad, cry and scared," said Smith, during the ceremony. "You may even have to lay down your life."
The Tulsa Police Department has more than 800 officers.
About Tulsa Police Recruits
Requirements:
Applicants must be 21-45 years of age.
Applicants must have completed a bachelor’s degree with a C+ average or better at an accredited college.
Applicants must be U.S. citizens.
Applicants may not have been convicted of a felony or a crime of moral turpitude.
Salaries:
Apprentice police officers earn $3,217.44 monthly during the 28-week academy training period. (The annual salary for police officers begins at $42,470.16.)
Source: http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=11&articleid=20081220_11_A15_Police345356
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Wednesday, October 01, 2008 / United Rotorcraft Solutions
United Rotorcraft Solutions (URS) recently delivered a new customized Bell 206L4 LongRanger to the Tulsa Police Department.
URS completed the helicopter with the equipment Tulsa PD requires to meet their mission. Some of the specific equipment included the FLIR Ultra 8500, Spectrolab SX-16 Searchlight, SLASS System, Paravion Diamond Back Monitors, Avalex Digital Recorder, the Meta-Map System and the Onboard Systems Cargo Hook.
The avionics and communications suite incorporated the Garmin Com/NAV/GPS, NAT FM transceiver and audio panels and the MACOM 800MHz tactical radio. Air conditioning, bleed air heat, engine oil filter and the inlet barrier filter were also installed. URS finished the 206 with the Police Department’s customized exterior paint scheme.
Tulsa PD will use the new helicopter to enhance their current fleet for support of field units and search and rescue.
Bell Helicopter representatives, Steve Reyna and Greg Arnold, were on hand to join in the delivery and extend their continued support to Tulsa.
“It is an honor to have Tulsa PD as a repeat customer for maintenance and now this new completion,” said David Brigham, President/Owner of URS. “We appreciate the work of airborne law enforcement and are committed to supporting these agencies throughout the country. “
United Rotorcraft Solutions, FAA Repair Station UX9R241Y, provides aircraft completions and refurbishment services, systems integration, maintenance, component overhaul, customized interior installations and unsurpassed exterior finishing on most model helicopters and some fixed wing aircraft. They also offer FAA approved NVG compatible lighting systems for many models.
By DAVID SCHULTE World Staff Writer
9/25/2008
Police and his employer cite Craig Stutzman for bravery in battling the bandit.
No plane could soar higher in the eyes of Craig Stutzman's co-workers at American Airlines than Stutzman himself on Wednesday.
Stutzman, a mechanic at the American Airlines Maintenance Base, 3600 N. Mingo Road, was recognized by the Police Department and his employer for his bravery in fighting a gunman, preventing him from robbing a Food Pyramid store at 51st Street and Memorial Drive on Aug. 7.
Police Chief Ron Palmer presented Stutzman with the department's Citizen Appreciation Award, the highest honor bestowed upon a civilian by police.
"In the world of cops, this guy is pretty special," Palmer said. "He stepped up and put his life in extreme danger in tackling an armed gunman in a grocery store."
The robber pistol-whipped Stutzman, who suffered scrapes and bruises in the fight, according to a police report that Palmer read aloud at the ceremony.
Although police don't expect all civilians to act so heroically, Palmer called Stutzman's example a "compelling story of citizen participation in law enforcement."
Stutzman was at the grocery store to buy some dog food when a robber entered, carrying a gun and wearing a Batman mask and a red bandana over his face.
The robber herded shoppers into a corner and then fired at a customer, missing him by inches, police said.
When the robber's gun jammed, Stutzman tackled him and fought him until officers arrived.
Tony Leroy Cleveland, 38, pleaded guilty Sept. 16 in federal court in that case as well as in two earlier robberies. He is to be sentenced in January.
Palmer said at the award ceremony that Stutzman performed a "selfless act of bravery" when he acted to "protect his fellow citizens."
"He helped take a person in custody when most people would have stopped," he said.
Fred Cleveland, American Airlines' vice president of base maintenance, said Stutzman represents "the heart" of the company and "the American way of life."
"He made the right choice at the right time," Cleveland said in presenting Stutzman with plaques of appreciation from the company.
Stutzman said something inside him caused him to tackle and fight the gunman.
"I look back, and I don't know what triggered me," he said. "It was all adrenalin."
The whole incident still seems unreal, he said, adding that he felt humbled to be honored by the Police Department and his co-workers.
David Schulte 581-8367
david.schulte@tulsaworld.com
Copyright Tulsa World 2008. All rights reserved. Format differs from original publication.
We would like to invite everyone to visit our booth at the Tulsa State Fair. There will be cool stuff, information about crime and the Police Department, and officers present at all times to meet with families and visitors to answer questions. We are located on the second floor on the west side of the Quik Trip Center. Hope to see you there, ed. 
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