Police Officers Glad To Have A New Leader

Wednesday, August 29th 2007, 8:20 pm

By: News On 6

The announcement that Ron Palmer will return as Tulsa Police chief was a surprise to many Tulsa police officers. News On 6 anchor Jennifer Loren reports some had heard the rumors, but Wednesdayâ€™s announcement was welcomed confirmation.

At Tulsa Police's Uniform Division North the officers were just starting their shifts when the announcement was made. Their new chief would be a familiar face, their former chief Ron Palmer.

"At least Palmer was here before and he's a known, rather than an unknown pick,â€ said Tulsa Police Officer Gary Upton. â€œSo we know what to expect from him and he knows what to expect from us."

"I think itâ€™s a wise decision based on the controversy surrounding the position,â€ said Tulsa Police Officer Jim Whiteshirt. â€œI've worked under Palmer before and I think he's got a good track record."

They think hiring Palmer may calm the nerves of those wanting someone from within the department filling the top spot. After all, in their experience, some say things can't get much worse.

"I think morale can only go up at this point," Whiteshirt said.

Palmer will take over a police force many say is under-staffed. But 24 new recruits will soon hit the streets under Chief Palmer. They say they've heard good things about their new boss.

"My whole family's in law enforcement so I've been around it, and I've heard he's a great chief and I'm just looking forward to it," said TPD recruit Charles Ramsey.

But according to other officers, the decision, whether good or bad, won't really affect them. They say the chief never actually deals with officers on the streets. But according to one Corporal, the affects of a chief, while they may be indirect, will soon be apparent to the two dozen future officers.

"He's our main boss and that's where orders come down from, so they may not see it, but they can definitely feel it, so having a good chief is very important," said Tulsa Police Corporal Dallas Jones.

The News On 6 did ask some of the officers about the racial controversy that surrounded Palmer in his last tenure as chief. They said that controversy shouldn't affect things now, and they hope both sides in the case learned to pick their battles a little better.

Watch the video: Palmer's Appointment A Surprise To Some Tulsa Officers

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