Mayor Allowed To Search Outside Tulsa Police Department For New Chief

Thursday, May 10th 2007, 6:25 am

By: News On 6

Tulsa Mayor Kathy Taylor wins a decision that allows her to search nationally for a new police chief. The Civil Service Commission ruled Thursday that Mayor Kathy Taylor can hire an outsider while rejecting three candidates already on the force. This decision is not the end of the it, because the police officers now plan to sue the city, but the News On 6â€™s Emory Bryan reports it is at least a temporary validation of the mayorâ€™s opinion that she has sole authority to pick the next chief.

The three internal candidates don't believe the mayor can legally overlook them for the police chief's job. That's why they appealed the mayor's decision to reject them.

"They should be the first people selected, and because they weren't, because they were rejected, they weren't even given a reason they weren't selected. They feel let down. They feel the charter wasn't followed," said the internal candidatesâ€™ attorney James Moore.

The three internal candidates argued that the mayor violated city rules by starting a national search for chief when they are qualified for the job.

"While each of them has their own strengths, I simply did not feel that any one of them was the very best candidate to lead our city forward," said Mayor Taylor.

The city attorney was on the mayor's side and the board sided with her too, with a unanimous ruling that rejected the officersâ€™ claims. Their attorney says the decision won't stop their case.

"The only other option is to go to court and ask for an injunction so this process can be completed," said Moore.

The police officers union already has a lawsuit pending and wants to make sure the mayor doesn't hire someone while the issue is on court. The mayor wants them to reconsider.

"I would hope at this point the representatives of the police union would say let's let the city move forward with good leadership and work together as a team," said Taylor.

Mayor Taylor said she already has the names of some outside candidates, but she plans to look for more. She said she wonâ€™t make a decision on who will lead the department until she picks a permanent chief. There's an interim in the job now, but he might not remain in that role.

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11/21/2006 - Selecting The City Of Tulsa's Next Police Chief

12/05/2006 -Public Meeting Held In Tulsa Police Chief Search

2/11/2006 - Tulsa Mayor Kathy Taylor Talks About Search For Next Police Chief

2/24/2007 - Mayor Takes Search For New Police Chief National

3/8/2007 - FOP Files Grievance Over Police Chief Search

3/30/2007 - Mayor Taylorâ€™s Search For New Police Chief Gains Support

5/8/2007 - Mayor Kathy Taylor Searches For A New Police Chief