TULSA - A Tulsa police officer has taken to Facebook to speak out about finding solutions and change in the wake of the fatal shooting of Terence Crutcher.
Popsey Floyd posted this message on his Facebook page Monday at 7:14 p.m.
I work for you. I will protect you. I do not take the Authority that comes with my badge for granted. I know you may be upset about the recent events all over the country and now here in Tulsa. I don't have the answers that you are looking for, but I will continue to be the solution. One thing that I want you to know is this. The Tulsa police department is hiring. If you believe that change is required, please join the department and be the change that you are seeking.
The post has been shared more than a couple thousand times. We spoke exclusively with Floyd Wednesday afternoon. Watch our conversation with him in the video player above.
Floyd said it's been emotional while on patrol across the city, but despite the harsh words he said he's not going to stop serving the community.
"I read the posts. It affects me. I have kids, I have a wife and it affects me," said Floyd. "So I want them to know that...things go on in the world, you know. We listen, we pay attention, and we support you.”
For Floyd, becoming a Tulsa police officer was a life-long dream.
“I know that people aren't mad at me personally. I understand that you know, it's not a personal deal as a whole. But it's still kinda hard because...you still have to go to work and outside of what's going on in the world, outside of what makes the news, there's still all these other call,” he said.
Terence Crutcher's death has brought a slew of protests to Tulsa, with many demanding Betty Shelby be charged, including Tuesday night's Protest for Justice rally downtown.
Crutcher's death has caused even more distrust in the police.
"I know the feeling. I grew up in north Tulsa. Prior to me joining the department, nobody in my family was a police officer. I grew up thinking you had to be scared of the police just based on stories that I heard," Floyd said.
Floyd, who's been with the department for six years, said he wants to make a positive difference in people's lives.
"I may not have been part of this situation, but I am part of the team, so it's my part to be part of the solution."
He's a native Tulsan who graduated from East Central High School. He studied bioengineering at the University of Tulsa, as well as played football for the Golden Hurricane.
Floyd told us about a football game he played in against the Oklahoma Sooners. He said he remembered Adrian Peterson coming at him and thinking he was going to tackle Peterson, only to see Peterson run on by him and into the endzone.
SPECIAL SECTION: Videos from protests, the family, the scene and background on the fatal shooting of Terence Crutcher
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