TULSA, Okla. — Pawhuska city officials released new details in the firing of the police chief last on Sept. 13.
On Sept. 17, City Manager Jerry Eubanks said the City of Pawhuska asked for assistance from the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation to look into the daily operations of the Pawhuska Police Department.
Eubanks said the request was made at the direction of the District Attorney.
"As City Manager, I want to express that we are both ashamed and deeply embarrassed
by the situation that has unfolded within our police department. We understand the gravity of the matter and the concern it has caused within our community. Please be assured that we are working diligently alongside professionals to address these issues. Our primary goal is to rebuild and restore the Pawhuska Police Department into an institution that we can all take pride in once again," Eubanks said in a statement.
Initially, the city put Chief Lorrie Hennesy on leave pending an internal investigation. She was later fired.
2 News reached out to OSBI, and they told us the investigation is underway, and once they have their findings, they will submit it to the District Attorney.
In August, we covered when there were two officers on duty while Hennesy was on leave.
Previous Coverage>>Residents want answers in Pawhuska after police chief put on leave
We went back to Pawhuska to listen to the concerns of residents, and Samuel Steed said he's noticed a difference in police presence in town.
"I have noticed a little bit of a dip in police activity around town," Steed said.
We took those concerns to Eubanks for an answer on how they plan to fix it. He told us they have hired more officers, six full-time and two reserved. Making the department almost fully staffed.
2 News went to Pawhuska in the interim and people there voiced concerns about the situation:
2 News kept pushing for answers and on Sept. 13, the city manager shared a memorandum sent to the city council on Aug. 27.
The memorandum details the results of a Risk Management Assessment of departments within the municipal government.
According to the document, "The purpose of the assessment was to determine potential environmental, physical or societal risks that could impact the city and/or its legal interests."
The assessment found no concerns with the EMS but details four issues in the police department.
Findings:
Through this assessment, findings have been identified that demand immediate action to restore the department's integrity and trust. Implementing stringent measures to enforce ethical behavior, compliance with policies, and a culture of accountability and respect is imperative.
These issues, detailed below, emphasize the need for comprehensive reform to ensure accountability, transparency, professionalism, ethics, honesty, and community service within the department.
Let's take a closer look:
Finding #1: Not following Pawhuska Police Department Firearms Policy
The assessment found two incidents within the police department that violated the code of conduct regarding firearms.
In a February incident, it is alleged Hennesy sent a photo of herself holding her gun unholstered and pointing at the ground to City Manager Jerry Eubanks. He responded and asked if the photo was a threat.
Further investigation alleged Hennesy and another member of the police department placed firearms in Eubanks' car without his knowledge or permission.
Eubanks has a prior felony conviction, so having possession of a firearm is against the law.
In a May incident, it is alleged Hennesy requested Eubanks to come to her office for a meeting. When he got to the meeting, two other members of the police department were there, and at the end of the meeting, Eubanks said that one of them unholstered his gun and put it at Eubanks' back behind his chair.
Eubanks stood and said it wasn't funny and left and observed the others laughing.
According to the assessment Hennesy "volunteered the information about being aware of her officer frequently practicing the quick draw around the police station in a recorded interview. Chief Hennesy was directed to Policy and Procedures manual 306.5 (safe handling, inspection and storage of firearms) regarding quick draw practice and clearing barrel requirements in handling of such weapons. Chief Hennesy was not aware of this policy."
Finding #2: Not following Pawhuska Police Department Standards of Conduct (Horseplay) and Conducted Energy Device (use of the CED) Policy
The assessment found incidents that violated the Conducted Energy Device (taser) policy.
According to the assessment, there were several times that officers dry-fired their tasers at each other's body parts as a joke or form of horseplay.
In a July interview, employees in other departments corroborated this and said it had also happened to them.
Finding #3: Police Vehicle Accountability
In June, due to budget issues, the city manager ended the policy for taking home vehicles if they lived more than a 10-mile radius of Pawhuska city limits.
Eubanks said he got several text messages from officers upset and arguing over this decision. He said the messages were instigated by Hennesy.
Another department member then took their vehicle home, violating this policy, and when questioned, said Hennesy knew about it.
Finding #4: Lack of Accountability and Leadership
The assessment finds that Hennesy did not provide necessary documents for their investigation; "requests were consistently ignored, raising concerns about transparency and cooperation within her office."
They said Hennesy denied knowing about the assessment despite having hand-delivered documents about it.
They also cited a 'wall of shame' showing photos of Pawhuska police officers sleeping on duty. When asked, they said Hennesy told them it was a 'wall of shame' for officers caught sleeping.
They said this undermines the importance of police officers being awake and vigilant on duty.
"When sleeping on duty is condoned, the safety and security of the community are compromised. It appears that this behavior is a common and even celebrated activity within the department, which is troubling and unprofessional. One such incident that occurred during a UAD call, Where the dispatcher on duty had to wake the officer up on four different occasions from sleeping on a cot to help the responding Officer."
The final finding of the assessment said there are significant issues in the Pawhuska Police Department and addressing those concerns is essential to restore public confidence.
2 News reached out to Hennesy and got these statements from her attorneys:
We find it alarming that Mr. Eubanks has not responded to our request to clarify the employment status of Chief Hennesy. But we believe it is par for course. We are extremely disappointed with the lack of professionalism, communication, and transparency demonstrated by City Manager Jerry Eubanks. Among other things, Mr. Eubanks accused Chief Hennesy, a respected law enforcement officer, of mishandling weapons. However, the evidence, including photographic proof, completely refutes Mr. Eubanks' claims.
The city's investigation was a shame. Mr. Eubanks reached a conclusion even though Chief Hennesy was never interviewed during the "investigation." Even more troubling, Mr. Eubanks denied Chief Hennesy the opportunity to question her accuser, Mr. Eubanks. While we respect Mr. Eubanks’ right to remain silent and remind the public of his presumption of innocence, we do not know if his refusal to allow himself to be questioned by Chief Hennesy is related to the multiple criminal cases of misconduct brought against him by the State of
Oklahoma.
What is more, Mr. Eubanks, who claims to be a victim, declined to recuse himself during the “investigation” and sought to play the roles of detective, judge, jury, and executioner. He has knowingly violated our client’s due process rights on multiple fronts. Therefore, we are considering all legal options. If it is indeed true that Mr. Eubanks unjustly terminated Chief Hennesy, then we intend to pursue legal action against him and the city.
~Attorney Les Bennett, Jr.
At this time, we can confirm that the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation has launched a criminal probe into officials within the City of Pawhuska. Our client is fully cooperating with the investigators. She has nothing to hide. While we do not know the specific targets of the investigation within the city, we are confident that Chief Hennesy has not committed any wrongdoing and will not be charged with
any crimes. We urge city leaders to follow Chief Hennesy’s lead and fully cooperate with OSBI.
During her six-year tenure, Chief Hennesy has helped lead the community through tumultuous times. Sixteen city managers have come and gone, and too many city officials have been charged with crimes. Chief Hennesy has done her best to be an honorable leader and she has been a voice of reason during all the chaos. The community knows Chief Hennesy's good reputation and understands that what is happening to her is wrong. We are overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and support. We want to thank the community and want them to know that Chief Hennesy is not going away. She is committed to fighting for what is right and will not be deterred because the people of Pawhuska hold a special place in her heart.
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