Police Divisions Could Get Name Change

By Lori Fullbright, News On 6

Tulsa, OK -- The Tulsa Police Department is thinking about changing the names of its three divisions. UDE, UDN AND UDSW could be called something else by the first of the year. 

Uniform Division Southwest could be re-named the Riverside Division. Uniform Division North could be called the Gilcrease Division and Uniform Division East, the Mingo or Mingo Valley Division.

Police think the new names are more user friendly.

The police stations in Tulsa have had their current names for decades. You wonder how many citizens actually know the names or care what they're named, but police managers are thinking about changing them. They say the idea came from newer members of the force.

"Everybody, at least new officers, felt they were impersonal and maybe, I'm not sure softening is the right word, but, more of a neighborhood flavor as opposed to just a direction," said TPD Chief Ron Palmer.

The idea is to make it so people won't feel a stigma about where they live or where they go to report crimes if the stations have a name that reflects its neighborhood.

"You have to deal with the details along with the big stuff, certainly we have bigger fish to fry and we're doing those things as well," said Chief Palmer.

Chief Palmer says reducing crime remains the department's top priority and points to a drop in homicides and recent big arrests for violent crimes.

He says Homeland Security money will be used to place barricades at the front of the police divisions to protect them from a possible terrorist attack and while they're doing that, it'd be easy to put up new signs with new names. The decision will depend on cost.

"It's too early to know, the signage at the divisions is minimal, it's not like we're talking of putting up a jumbotron, it shouldn't cost a whole lot," said Chief Palmer.

The chief says he ran the idea past the mayor's police community action group and they liked it.