Process Of Rehiring 35 Laid Off Tulsa Police Officers Begins

By Emory Bryan, The News On 6

TULSA, OK -- Thirty-five laid off Tulsa police officers have now begun the process of being rehired by the city of Tulsa after a federal grant funding change was approved Friday. 

Those officers are reporting back to the Tulsa Police training academy. 

The move is very similar to what happened last November when stimulus money was used to rehire 18 laid off Tulsa Police officers.  Since the 35 officers are off the payroll, they will have to fill out a lot of paperwork, and even go through drug testing again.  

Even still, some of the rehired officers could walk away, the Tulsa Police union gives them 15 days to make a decision.

The hire back date for the 35 officers could be as soon as March 1st if all immediately accept the offer.

"There is going to be a little bit of a time frame involved in this, but I don't anticipate a lot of those guys and girls not being interested," said Officer Jason Willingham, Tulsa Police.

The city contacted the 35 most senior officers who were laid off and asked them to report to the training academy Tuesday morning.

It was there on January 29th when the city laid off 124 officers, some for the second time. 

Willingham says at least two of the 35 officers have already accepted jobs elsewhere. Those slots will go to people further down the list.

"Rather than have them all come at once, what we'll do is as they accept the job, they'll report to city medical for drug testing, because they were terminated from the city for a short time so they will have to go back through that process and they'll report to the academy and be reissued all their gear," Officer Willingham said.

2/21/2010  Related Story: Laid Off Tulsa Police Officer Weighs In On JAG Grant Approval

Tulsa Police Chief Chuck Jordan says the hire backs will not go back to their old assignments. Jordan says 29 officers will go to patrol and six will go into the detective division.

Tulsa Mayor Dewey Bartlett is still looking over the latest offer from the police union that could rehire the rest of the officers.

The News On 6 found Monday afternoon, there isn't any sort of breakthrough on rehiring the other 89 officers.

The police union gave the city of Tulsa a counter offer last Thursday. The city's negotiation team is still looking at it. They have not accepted it, or rejected it.

No meetings are planned yet to discuss it with the FOP.