Tulsa Police On Snow Patrol

Lori Fullbright, News On 6

TULSA, Oklahoma -- It's just as tough for police officers to get around as it is for the rest of us. The Tulsa police department doesn't have any four-wheel drive vehicles, so last week, many officers were driving their own vehicles to answer calls.

This week, they borrowed three four-wheel drive trucks from the fire department.

There is often a good natured sense of competition between the Tulsa police department and the fire department, but when is comes to storms like this when lives are on the line, it's all about teamwork and cooperation, evidenced by the loaner of this truck.

Even though Tulsa didn't get as much snow Wednesday as last week, the streets are still too snow covered for the squad cars to get around easily.

"I drive a Ford Crown Vic usually which is rear-wheel drive. You get any type of snow or ice on the ground and you can't go anywhere," said Officer Don Holloway of the Tulsa Police Department.

Holloway is now behind the wheel of this four-wheel drive truck, courtesy the fire department. It makes it much easier to get to calls, especially in neighborhoods, which are the last to be cleaned so are the worst.

Without the truck, response times would be a nightmare.

"A normal call, that would take five to 10 minutes, could take an hour depending on traffic and conditions," he said.

Officers aren't even going on report calls for fear of getting stuck in their squad cars. They're taking those over the phone.

Even though there's only truck available at each police division, they've still been a huge help for getting officers to citizens in need.

These officers have shown whether it's a loaner truck or driving their own personal vehicles, they're willing in conditions like these, to do whatever it takes to protect and serve