Tulsa Police Chief Responds To 'We The People Oklahoma' Policy Requests

Tulsa Police Chief Chuck Jordan released a public response to requests made by We the People Oklahoma during a news conference Tuesday. We the People is the group is the community advocacy group behind the Grand Jury investigation into the Tulsa County Sheriff's Office.

The group, led by Marq Lewis, called for three policy changes in all Oklahoma law enforcement agencies:

1. The online publication of departmental policies
2. That officers involved in a shooting, particularly a deadly one, be subject to a blood test and psychiatric evaluation
3.  All versions of police reports, including versions that have been revised between the incident and the document's use in the courtroom, to be made available to the public

7/12/2016 Related Story: 'We The People' Calling For Changes In TPD, TCSO Policies

Chief Jordan addressed all three topics in a news release Wednesday. Here are his responses in full:

1. We are currently working on placing all of our Policy and Procedures on our web-site.  
 
2. Currently, TPD can request a blood or urinalysis test if a supervisor believes any officer is under the influence of drugs or alcohol.  TPD does have the ability to request a psychiatric evaluation on any officer if deem necessary. City Policy and the Collective Bargain Agreement do not allow drug testing or psychology evaluation without the presence of other indicators. Psychology testing results or even the fact that such testing is performed is not subject to public record. Actions taken as a result of drug testing or psychology evaluations would be accessible to the public in the form of a department order detailing resolution of the issue.

3. TPD does not revise reports. Supplemental reports are only submitted as further evidence becomes known. Because of privacy issues and state guidelines, only the cover sheet of the reports is released to the public. The narratives of these reports are not subject to open records. 

Jordan also stated he was open to sitting down with any organization to discuss ways of improving TPD's communication with Tulsa citizens.