TULSA, Okla. — The City of Tulsa is contracting a nonprofit to move forward with improvements to the Tulsa Police Department this fall.
This comes after the Office of the Independent Monitor failed to pass the City Council in March.
CNA will head up the community policing initiative with Tulsa police and analyze policy in the department.
Mayor G.T. Bynum made the announcement Monday in a press release.
When we developed our community policing recommendations in 2017, it was a starting point for empowering citizens and officers to work together in making our city safer. One of the values we’ve instilled at the City of Tulsa is continuous improvement. We recognize the need to both evaluate our progress as it relates to community policing and also to involve citizens and officers in developing the plan that will guide our strategies over the next several years. I am excited for us to begin that collaborative process.
The announcement comes amid a national conversation about policing across the country.
Without the OIM, Mayor Bynum said he still wanted to move forward with improvements to the police department.
CNA is based out of Arlington, VA and operated the Center for Justice Research and Innovation.
Hildy Saizow has been named as the project Director.
The city said she is a native Tulsa and Booker T. Washington graduate.
“This is an important step forward, to ask for an assessment of community policing, and to do it as a partnership between objective researchers and Tulsa community members who know the issues best. We look forward to working in the city of Tulsa to support and strengthen police-community collaboration, which ultimately will improve public safety,” Saizow said.
The city said the nationally accredited organization was chosen out of four other organizations by community leaders and city staff through an interview and scoring process.
CNA is set to begin its analysis of Tulsa police come fall of 2020.
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