Tribal relations, sovereignty emerge as priorities in Tulsa police chief search

(TVLSE, Okla.) Tulsa residents gathered at Edison Preparatory School on Tuesday, August 4, to offer input on one of the city’s most important hiring decisions: the search for the next police chief.

While the city’s charter authorizes the mayor to select the chief of police, Mayor Monroe Nichols invited community members to share what qualities they want to see in the department’s next leader. Throughout the evening, residents asked questions and voiced concerns on a range of topics, including tribal sovereignty, surveillance technology, immigration, transparency and public trust.

The issue of tribal sovereignty was one of the evening’s top topics of discussion. Residents wanted to know how the next police chief will work alongside tribal nations.

Crosswinds News participated in the discussion, asking whether the city will ensure that the next chief respects tribal sovereignty and works with local tribes.

“One of our six priorities is improving relationships,” Nichols said. “Obviously, it’ll be something that we talk about in the interview process, but it is a stated goal of the administration. It is a shared value between my office and the [city] council.”

Nichols referenced the partnership between the city’s police department and the Muscogee Nation, saying the cooperation on jurisdictional issues has strengthened the relationship between the two governments. This cooperation was necessitated by the 2020 Supreme Court decision, McGirt v. Oklahoma, that confirmed tribal sovereignty over certain law enforcement responsibilities occurring on reservation land.

“It has been the work of the Tulsa Police Department and the Muscogee Nation, very specifically related to the federal lawsuit, that has really gotten us to a place where I think what we have is something that’s going to be a model for the rest of the state,” Nichols said.

He added that those partnerships will remain an important priority for the department moving forward.

“The relationship with the Osage, Cherokee and Muscogee Nations is very critical,” Nichols said. “Before we got here tonight, late last week, I met with all three chiefs to talk about this, get their input, things they wanted us to include in the evaluation, questions they wanted us to ask of the candidates. We’ve actually had that baked into the process.”

The conversation also included concerns related to technology and privacy, as one resident expressed concerns about the city’s use of Flock cameras and the growing role of artificial intelligence and surveillance tools in law enforcement. The resident questioned how data is stored, who has access to it and whether the police department has protections in place to safeguard personal information.

Nichols acknowledged those concerns and said transparency will be important as technology continues to evolve. He said he would like to see additional community conversations about tools such as Flock cameras so residents have a better understanding of how information is collected, protected and used while giving the public an opportunity to ask questions and voice concerns.

Another resident asked if TPD works with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.  

Nichols said TPD does not coordinate with ICE and emphasized that the department's focus is protecting public safety rather than enforcing federal immigration policy. He added that maintaining trust within the community is necessary to ensure residents feel comfortable reporting crimes and working with law enforcement.

As the meeting came to a close, the mayor said he intentionally avoided discussing who has applied for the role, choosing instead to listen to residents about what they are looking for in the next police chief.

“My goal is to make the very best decision for the city right now,” Nichols said.

“I’m not looking for somebody running for police chief. I want somebody to be good at the job, to be focused on the job and not feel like they have to be the world’s greatest politician, but someone who can do the job, do it well, lead with humility and certainly transparency. Someone that we can trust.”

Nichols wants the city’s next police chief to communicate openly with the public, acknowledge when problems arise and continue working to build trust throughout the community.

He told us he would also be meeting with members of his Children’s Cabinet the next day to help inform his decision. 

Applications for police chief closed on August 6. Tulsa’s current chief of police, Dennis Larsen, is set to retire on September 30.