TPD Chief's Revised Proposal Includes 120 Officer Layoffs; Corporals Eliminated

NewsOn6.com

TULSA, OK -- Tulsa Police Chief Ron Palmer's latest budget reduction plan includes the layoffs of 120 officer positions and would eventually eliminate corporals to meet the Mayor's goal of a 4.4 percent budget reduction for the department.

Web Extra: Read Chief Palmer's Entire Revised Staff Reduction Plan

The Police Department proposal reduces the FY 2010 budget by 4.4 percent, or $ 3,461,554, through a combination of materials, supplies, services, FOP offered concessions, positions frozen, leaving retiring supervisor positions unfilled, and JAG Grant funding already approved for three officer positions.

Despite the Mayor's requests to cut from management positions as well, the plan only cuts supervisor positions by attrition, but those cuts would eventually lead to a ratio of more officers per supervisor position.

01/06/2010  Related story: Tulsa Police Chief Looks At More Concessions To Reduce Layoffs

Currently 25% of police officers hold supervisor positions and eventually the Chief Palmer's plan would reduce that number to 17%.

Fourteen supervisors are scheduled to retire during Fiscal year 2010 and those positions will remain unfilled.

If the budget problems continue in subsequent years, as many as 90 retiring positions could go unfilled and the rank of Corporal will be permanently disbanded.

Corporal is currently the first supervisory rank for Tulsa officers, just below Sergeant. Current corporals would retain the rank, but no new officers would be promoted to that rank.

The Mayor asked Chief Palmer to create a proposal that would include demotions.

"What it does morale-wise and to the leadership of the police department is certainly damning and we don't endorse it and won't endorse it," Chief Palmer said in a previous interview with The News On 6.