Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum announced Wednesday he has selected Maj. Wendell Franklin to be the city's next chief of police.
Franklin will replace Chief Chuck Jordan, who is retiring at the end of the month. Bynum's choice was first reported by the Tulsa World.
Franklin, 46, was one of four finalists chosen from a pool of seven internal candidates after two rounds of interviews.
Bynum said Franklin has the rare but valuable experience of leading officers in all three Tulsa Police Department divisions.
"And long before many of us started talking about community policing, Chief Franklin was doing it in his leadership roles around the city. Whether it was working with business owners and forming an alliance to combat thefts or going door to door with neighborhood leaders to organize a neighborhood safety program, he took the initiative," Bynum said.
Franklin said innovation will be his focus as Tulsa’s top cop, including the use of data to drive decisions and letting citizens see that data.
"If we don't change, then we are just like the K-Mart, the Sears, those companies that did not change with the times," Franklin said.
Franklin will take over after Chief Chuck Jordan retires at the end of the month. Jordan said he has a lot invested in TPD, and not just decades of service.
"My son is in this police department. My nephew is in this police department. And I'll just say without equivocation, I could not be happier that they're going to have Wendell Franklin," Jordan said.
Community leaders who pushed for a nationwide search for police chief, however, said there are too many unanswered questions when it comes to Franklin. Greg Robinson with Demanding A JUSTulsa said Franklin denied racial discrimination claims made by black TPD officers that led to a consent decree and has been silent on use-of-force incidents involving black men.
"If he can commit to changing the culture with us, if he can stand with citizens to end 'Live PD,' then we look forward to working with him. If not, then we'll have the same issues that we had with the last police chief and that we currently have with our mayor," Robinson said.
Franklin said Wednesday "Live PD" is entertainment but he also sees it as a tool for transparency.
Franklin has been with the Tulsa Police Department 23 years. His career began on patrol in north Tulsa before moving to narcotics. Franklin was promoted to sergeant at the Mingo Valley Division and spent time in TPD's Special Investigations Division. He's currently in charge of the Headquarters Division.
