NewsOn6.com - Tulsa, OK - News, Weather, Video and Sports - KOTV.com | Tulsa Police Choose Furloughs Over Layoffs
Tulsa police officers will have to take eight days off without pay.By Chris Wright, The News On 6
TULSA, OK -- The union approved their contract with the city, meaning officers will have to take eight days off without pay. The alternative would have left 48 officers without a job so the department could stay on budget.
Fraternal Order of Police members approved the contract, but not without a warning for Tulsans. Some officers say either way the vote went tonight, there would be fewer officers on the street, and citizens will pay the price.
Officers began voting Tuesday at precincts across the city, forced to choose between what they say are the lesser of two evils.
"We felt we were met with ultimatums: come up with money or we're laying off officers, and that scared a lot of people. I'm not going to lie to you, that scared a lot of people," said Sgt. Shane Tuell of the Tulsa Police Department.
Diminishing sales tax revenue means tough times for every city department, including police. The city needed to cut $1.7 million from the TPD's budget - either through furloughs or layoffs.
Officers who voted to approve the contract agreed to eight furlough days over the next year. That is roughly equivalent to a 3% pay cut.
But voting no would have meant firing as many as 50 officers.
In a statement released this evening, FOP Lodge 93 President Phil Evans said the citizens of Tulsa are the real winners because the City will retain the officers.
"The citizens will maintain 48 Tulsa police officers which means the same officers are on the streets. The bad news is there are over 52,000 total hours in which the citizens are losing some type of protection," said Evans.
Related Story 7/8/2009: Police Fear Contract Will Cost Citizen Safety
The contract will remain in effect until June, 2010.
Frequently, unemployment is merely reported as a statistic, but The Oklahoma Impact Team is taking a closer look at the people behind the numbers. More>>
The recall affects eight models of cars and trucks dating back to 2005, but Tulsa dealers say the problem is easy to fix and is mostly a preventative measure. More>>
Dozens of people from across the globe are in Tulsa to play pool as Magoo's is hosting the first T-Town Classic – One Pocket Tournament. More>>
Wednesday afternoon, several airlines which serve Tulsa decided to cancel flights in and out of Tulsa on Thursday as the winter storm approaches from the west. More>>
Two Oklahoma mortgage brokers pleaded guilty Tuesday to conspiracy to commit wire fraud in what the feds say was a mortgage scam involving 40 area homes and more than $11 million. More>>
The city of Tulsa has appealed to the federal government to re-purpose a $3 million Department of Justice grant to allow the city to rehire 35 laid off Tulsa Police officer. More>>
Tulsa Police have released surveillance pictures of a robbery suspect which held up at the Gateway Grocery store at 1601 North Peoria. More>>
It appears at lot of folks in the Tulsa area saw the Super Bowl commercial and stopped by Tulsa's only Denny's restaurant on Sheridan just south of I-244. More>>
