Progressive policing?

At open forum, Republican candidates for sheriff offer ideas for fixing TCSO

When I entered the TCC Center for Creativity, a smiling rep from the League of Women Voters of Metro Tulsa greeted me. She thanked me for attending, offered to update my voter registry, and gave me a copy of the Constitution. The event, a forum with the Republican candidates for Tulsa County Sheriff, was co-organized by the LWV and The Frontier. Frontier editor-in-chief Ziva Branstetter led the event and began by reviewing the forum’s odd necessity. In the wake of the resignation of Stanley Glanz, our longest-running sheriff, Tulsa is holding a special election on April 5 to complete his term.

The reasons for Glanz’s resignation are common knowledge by now. Evidence of kickbacks, falsified training records, cover-ups and general skullduggery has tarnished his 27-year legacy. The smoking gun of Glanz’s undoing was held by Robert Bates when, during a sting operation, the pay-to-play reserve deputy mistook his firearm for his taser and killed an unarmed black man named Eric Harris. 

At the forum, the candidates who chose to comment on Harris’s killing uniformly labeled the situation a “tragedy.” Agreement seemed to be the theme of the answers offered that evening, while the candidates sought to differentiate themselves in their opening remarks. 

The ousting of Glanz came about largely through movements relying on youthful energy. Activist group We The People Oklahoma was a driving force in making sure the Harris shooting stayed in the public consciousness, and the nature of the shooting found solidarity with the Black Lives Matter campaign. 

Outlined in Black Lives Matter’s list of policy demands, known as Campaign Zero, is a need for body cameras, community interaction, and an end to policing for profit. It was surprising to see those demands find such favor in a room full of Republican candidates for a law enforcement position in one of the nation’s reddest states. 

The bedeviled specter of Glanz loomed heavy over the event, though he was rarely mentioned by name. Instead, a faint howl and rattling of chains could be heard with each utter of “transparency,” “trust,” or “accountability”—all terms with which his administration was not synonymous.

Vic Regalado was the first to call out “transparency” as a “buzz word,” espousing the need for communication with multiple community advisory boards. Others echoed the sentiment, and Dan Miller expressed an interest in holding monthly press conferences to update the public about TCSO’s dealings.

On the subject of trust between deputies and communities, the candidates were asked about the 287(g) program, which partners state and local law enforcement agencies with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and has been accused of encouraging the racial profiling of Latinos. All candidates denounced racial profiling, but all viewed the program as a welcome tool against illegal immigration. Luke Sherman believes 287(g) is a good thing, but said he would need a “situational awareness” of the program before fully supporting it. 

On the subject of transparency, candidates decried the Glanz administration’s obfuscation and lack of accountability, and all supported the broader implementation of body cameras. Jason Jackson said he would “find a way” to put body cameras on every deputy and officer. 

The question of privatizing the jail drew considerable scorn from the candidates, with most declaring that profits had no place in the incarceration process.

At the end of the Q&A, Branstetter announced it was time for “closing arguments” before correcting herself. “[I mean] closing statements,” she laughed. “I’ve been watching too much ‘Making A Murderer.’” The slip of tongue spoke to similarities between the dubious reputation of the Manitowoc County Sheriff’s Department and our own. (Several days after hosting this forum, Branstetter dropped another bomb on TCSO with a story detailing the office’s failure to disclose in a 2011 report to the Department of Justice numerous sexual assaults that had occurred in the county jail.)

The age of the crowd mirrored the homogeneity of the candidates’ responses. Including Jason Jackson’s 17 year-old son, I was one of less than ten people under the age of forty in attendance. As I noticed this, I thought back to the genuinely warm reception the LWV representative had given me, and realized how rare local political engagement is for my age group. 

That this event was only for the Republican candidates (of which there are nine to the sole Democrat, Rex Berry) might explain why young voters were underrepresented. Or it might be the event was simply underpublicized. Whatever the reason, young voters must become more involved. The citizens of Tulsa have effectively put the need for progressive policing on the table, and this is the first time in 27 years that the name “Glanz” won’t appear on the ballot. The same citizens who passionately petitioned for his ouster—whether through social media, open protest, or signing the grand jury petition—have an opportunity to stay engaged with the process of selecting his replacement.

For more from Mitch, read his interview with the founders of Rojava Solidarity Oklahoma.