Three Tulsa Police Officers who were laid off this week are looking at temporary positions with Tulsa Public Schools Campus Police. TPS Police Chief Gary Rudick says he wants to help the officers until they can find another position or get back on at the police department. The goal is to get three of the officers who were laid off working security at Tulsa high schools. The officers say it is one way to make the best of a bad situation.
Brad Blackwell is one of the officers who was let go. He has a baby girl on the way. He says being laid off as a Tulsa Police Officer couldn't have come at a worse time. He says, "I've got to find something to help me pay insurance and benefits." Jared Grafton was also laid off. He says, "I'm getting married a week from Saturday so that's exciting." Both are now looking for something to pay the bills.
Chief Rudick spent 25 years with TPD before taking the position with TPS. The school police received a 49-thousand dollar grant to hire security guards for high schools. He wants to use that money to hire three of the twenty-one officers who were laid off. Chief Rudick says, "If that stimulus grant the city was reviewing brought back eighteen that would leave three young men without a job."
If approved, those three officers would work 40 hours a week until the end of the school year in June. Chief Rudick says, "Hopefully it is a band aid solution and by that time the city will be able to bring them back." Wednesday they turned in their equipment to TPD. Thursday they were getting fitted with equipment to serve TPS. Blackwell says, "If able to come help TPS schools... I think that would benefit the school district, the community, as well as myself and my family."
Chief Rudick is hoping to bring the issue up at the November 17th board meeting unless he gets approval before then.
