NTOA Report Recommends Improvements
By Local Report
Thursday, 27 July 2006
Mayor Kathy Taylor and Tulsa Police Chief Dave Been announced Wednesday they have received the final Special Operations Team Critical Incident Response Capabilities report from the National Tactical Officers Association.
The report addresses SOT tactics, processes and weaponry and provides recommendations for improvements. Numerous improvements have been made by the department since receiving the interim SOT report in February to ensure the best methods and tactics are used to keep the officers and public safe.
Chief Been commissioned the report in November 2005 to request a review of the SOT for tactics and weaponry education and training advice. Mayor Taylor said she is confident the Tulsa Police department will use the report as a management tool to strive for excellence and focus on positive outcomes in planning and implementing continuous process improvements.
“Chief Been requested this report in 2005 for instructional purposes. I appreciate the work Chief Been and his top command staff have done to implement the recommended improvements as a result of this review,” she said.
To date, improvements made as a result of the interim report include:
* Personnel actions, including leadership changes up to the deputy chief rank, to strengthen the team
* Policy manual updates
* Planning for a basic SOT training in the fall and standardized training of team members to ensure uniform knowledge
* Captain training and observation of Los Angeles SWAT
* Surveillance equipment and weaponry purchases
* Evaluation of staffing levels
* Survey larger agencies for best practices on selection of team members
* Clarified tactical authority issues on call-outs and modified procedures for call-outs to adopt national standards
In the forward to the report, NTOA Executive Director John Gnagey commended the Tulsa Police Department for “seeking outside inspection to ensure they are providing the best critical incident response and police service to the citizens of Tulsa.”
In a letter accompanying the report, Gnagey further stated “Please keep in mind, this report will focus on real, perceived and/or potential issues in your operational procedures or documents, and because of that, may appear to be negative. It is not meant to be a negative document, but rather, a living document that will allow you to address clearly identified issues to fine-tune your team and your organizational process.”
“I look forward to working with Chief Been and the department toward the continued implementation of best practices that place public safety for all Tulsa citizens above all else.”
Last Updated ( Thursday, 27 July 2006 )