TPD Investigation over Community Event

[Michael Brown]

Argh -- I can't believe I read the whole thread.

My take -- the problem here is outside the realm of officers attending an event.

The memo from DC Webster, although less than impressive prose at best, is what it is.
The retort from Captain Fields, again - not a literary work of genius, is what it is.

All correspondence should have ended after Captain Fields retort.
I think too much testosterone took over.
If DC Webster had picked up the phone, and asked Captain Field to have a face to face chat, would this have escalated?
Perhaps, but I think both sides could have come to an amicable resolution.
Once correspondence bounces around the department, people have to avoid losing face.
I blame DC Webster for not being the bigger man.
He should have met face to face, and tried to resolve this, without the use of back and forth memos.
He allowed this to become a bigger situation than it ever should have been.

Of course, I am not a cop -- so my expertise is very limited.
I am however a team lead of a group of people, and frequently see email battles turn into something foolish.
Often I have to tell my boss and teammates to stop sending emails, pick up the phone, and converse like adults.

If you read the correspondance carefully, you will note that this DID happen.

Unofrtunately it does not appear to have alleviated the situation as both parties seem to have dug their heels in.

That said, I agree with your assertion that when emails start flying, everyone gets their feathers ruffled and next thing you know everyone is filing complaints when a simple phone call or face to face chat might have never brought us to this juncture.

Michael Brown

 

[JB Books]

I am going to have a Stripper Appreciation Day

 

[_CY_]

all this is going to do is put Tulsa in a bad light nationally.

and most importantly cost Tulsa tax payer $$$ ... for that's who ends up footing legal bills, which can rack up $$$ hundred thousand dollar+++ quickly.

especially right after the mayor led Tulsa on a wild goose chase with TPD in the name of saving $$$... look how that ended costing Tulsa more $$$ than saved. not to mention loss of good officers who ended up employed elsewhere.

the deputy Chief is taking the heat, but no way he acted without blessing from the Chief.

 

[trickydick]

You know the one thing I've taken from all of this is that Tulsa has allot of Captain's and dep Cheif's and Cheif's, I didn't think Tulsa was big enough to have that many admin Cops.

 

[JB Books]

This sort of thing along with our anti immigrant and anti-sharia laws makes Oklahoma look like a bastion of bigotry. Even if there is no ill intent on the part of the officer, it still looks terrible.

What I don't understand is since he wasn't required to go to any type of religious services, why not go and eat some free falafel and shish kababob? What would that have hurt?

 

[HMFIC]

This sort of thing along with our anti immigrant and anti-sharia laws makes Oklahoma look like a bastion of bigotry. Even if there is no ill intent on the part of the officer, it still looks terrible.

What I don't understand is since he wasn't required to go to any type of religious services, why not go and eat some free falafel and shish kababob? What would that have hurt?

it wasn't just him though, he had to make a decision if he was going to force his subordinates also...

makes it a little different than just a personal decision especially if it's true what he said that he honestly believes it was a violation of his civil rights.

 

[Michael Brown]

This sort of thing along with our anti immigrant and anti-sharia laws makes Oklahoma look like a bastion of bigotry. Even if there is no ill intent on the part of the officer, it still looks terrible.

What I don't understand is since he wasn't required to go to any type of religious services, why not go and eat some free falafel and shish kababob? What would that have hurt?

I think there is some dispute as to what he was ordered to do.

That seems to be the sticking point.

Michael Brown

 

[bulbboy]

This sort of thing along with our anti immigrant and anti-sharia laws makes Oklahoma look like a bastion of bigotry. Even if there is no ill intent on the part of the officer, it still looks terrible.

What I don't understand is since he wasn't required to go to any type of religious services, why not go and eat some free falafel and shish kababob? What would that have hurt?

How about the anti-illegal immigrant laws

 

[NikatKimber]

This sort of thing along with our anti immigrant ...

How about the anti-illegal immigrant laws

I was just going to ask. Do we have anti-immigrant, or anti-illegal-immigrant laws?

If the former, you can talk, if the latter, that makes you sound like the bastion of bigotry here.

 

[Michael Brown]

I think, although I don't speak for him, JB is saying that Oklahoma has created laws that target specific racial/ethnic/religious groups i.e. the Sharia law.

This makes us seem bigoted.

Even if it was specifically Sharia law that we are worried about at the moment, a law that doesn't specifically mention the type of religious law would have made more sense.

That way when the concern is Joel's Army Theology or radical Zionism or any other fringe group, we don't have to go creating other laws or try to explain how this law covers these as well.

I think that one of the difficulties legislators in this state (although to be fair legislators in general) have is we address one specific problem when we create laws without concern for the fallout or future implications of the law.

We get wound up about guns or Mexicans or Muslims or meth or whatever and we poop ourselves creating laws without much thought for the consequences.

Just a thought.......

Michael Brown