Tulsa city councilors continue to discuss what they can do to increase trust in the police department.
After several meetings following a series of public hearings on the Equality Indicators report, they generally agree any lack of trust comes down to a perceived lack of transparency and accountability. Councilor Kara Joy McKee said those can be tied to a lack of data collected by and available from the department.
"I think the extent is debatable, but I think that we, through these meetings, have established that we are lacking some accountability and transparency when we can’t pull the data easily. Talking to the chief recently, he said, 'It’s hard for me as the chief to easily pull the data to say how long each stop is happening for,'" McKee said. "He shouldn’t have to dig for that."
City Councilor Vanessa Hall-Harper said there are national best practices when it comes to the data police collect during stops and other encounters.
"But I believe there is an apprehension of collecting certain data points because they’re going to show certain things that’s not going to shed the City of Tulsa in a positive light. So, hey, let’s just don’t collect the data," Hall-Harper said.
What the council can do to ensure better data collection, however, is up in the air.
Councilors are still discussing what actions they can take to lessen disparities identified in the Equality Indicators reports following a series of public hearings.
