Interim Sheriff Acting As 'Agent Of Change' For TCSO

The new man in charge at the Tulsa County Sheriff's Office said something the public has been waiting to hear for months: "The public is our boss, and that's who we should be serving."

Wednesday, Undersheriff Rick Weigel held a news conference to discuss how the sheriff’s office is implementing recommendations made by the grand jury that indicted the sheriff.

It’s his attempt to get things in line.

Weigel, while only the sheriff until a new one is elected, said he's using this time to create a strong foundation the sheriff's office can build on.

Not only did Weigel sit down to talk to reporters Wednesday, he said he wants to do it every month.

"A change agent is what I am," he said.

Weigel wants more transparency and change in the Tulsa County Sheriff's Office.

He said he's assigned staff members to each of the grand jury's eight recommendations for change in the sheriff's office - from simply adhering to policies, to better record keeping, to deputies reapplying if they've been off-duty five years.

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"After an action plan is formed, my intent is to release that to the public," he said.

Weigel was forthcoming until asked about his involvement in a possible cover-up of a property room theft in June. A search warrant says inmate worker, Jesse Preibe, broke into the room, stole K2 and put it in his rectum.

District Attorney Steve Kunzweiler said he didn't hear about it until it came out in the media mid-September.

Weigel, as undersheriff, would have been in charge of leading the internal investigation of the theft. He wouldn't discuss it Wednesday.

"This conference is regarding the eight recommendations from the grand jury, and that's the direction that we're going to go," he said.

Weigel said he is considering a run for sheriff and is using this time to right some wrongs.

"Look at my actions, because actions are going to tell you whether or not this is more than just lip service," he said.

Weigel also said he will sit down with members of We The People Oklahoma, the group who started the petition for a grand jury investigation of the sheriff's office.