Tulsa Police Chief Wendell Franklin Officially Promoted

Tulsa's new police chief had his promotion ceremony Friday afternoon after being on the job for a week.

At the ceremony, Chief Wendell Franklin shared his gratitude to those who helped him become Tulsa's top cop.

Franklin, a 23-year veteran of TPD, asked his colleagues to come up to the front to acknowledge their support.

“I want you to know that this is why I put on the uniform and come to work every day,” said Franklin. “These guys here, they are the ones that help support me.”

Franklin is the city's 40th police chief and the department's first African American chief. Mayor GT Bynum said more than 600 people were a part of the process that led to Franklin’s promotion. Franklin also thanked his family, including his uncle who was also a Tulsa police officer and gave a shout out to his wife and their two sons, who encouraged him to apply.

“He was pretty hesitant about taking the opportunity, and we're just glad we were able to be around to push him to be all that he can be,” said Coreon Franklin, Wendell Franklin eldest’s son. ”He pushed us in so many ways in life, and we're immensely thankful for him.”

Franklin told News On 6 he's already making decisions and has several initiatives, including shift changes, in the works.

“And one of the big things I talked about is the need for us to put more supervisors out in the field to ensure that our officers are properly supervised and they have the necessary tools to do their job,” Franklin said.

Other promotions at the ceremony included Joshua Goldstein, now a lieutenant, and Billy Hursh, now a sergeant.