Police departures increase in Norman
NORMAN — As many as 14 sworn police officers have either re signed, retired or considered other employment since the city council voted last month to defund the Norman Police Department, The Oklahoman has learned.
Sgt. Chris Amason, a candidate for Cleveland County sheriff, and Sgt. Robert Wasoski, the president of Norman's police union, are among five officers whose retirements are effective between Friday and July 31, according to information provided by the department.
Since mid-June, eight officers have resigned or submitted retirement requests. Seven additional officers are thinking about leaving but haven' t notified the department, Lt. Jeremy Garnand told The Oklahoma non Wednesday.
“I completely support what they're doing,” said Garnand, 39, a 13- year veteran and a union vice president. “I can't fault them for wanting to get to a community where the mayor and city council are more supportive of their agency.”
Two of those officers have tried out for the Yukon Police Department, while another has r eceived a conditional
offer from an unidentified police department, Garnand said.
“I am deeply concerned that we have seen an unusually high number of resignations and retirement sin recent months,” Police Chief Kevin Foster said in an email. “I am also worried about the possibility of how many additional officers will leave our agency to pursue new opportunities via resignation or retirement in the coming weeks and months.”
Was os ki ,54, a 28- year department veteran, has accepted a position with Moore Norman Technology Center to train future police officers.
“I' ve dealt with a city government that has not always been pro public safety,” he said. “This is probably the worst that I've ever seen as far as that goes.”
Also retiring are Sgt. Ray Go ins, Sgt. Tommy Laird and Lt. Clay Bolin. Officer Michael Petrilla's resignation was effective June 18 while the resignations of two other officers — Michael Lindsey and Estie Hudson — were effective July 6, according to the department.
“When people who are really good at their job start to leave, there's got to be some underlying reason,” Wasoski said, referring to those who have resigned or retired. “They're good at their job and they're good people. They wouldn't just go looking for another job if they were comfortable.”
The Norman City Council voted June 17 to cut $865,000 from the proposed police department budget in response to calls to fund alternatives to armed policing. About $ 630,000 will be used f or community outreach and development programs, while $235,000 will be used to create an internal auditor position to monitor police overtime. The department eliminated nine sworn officer positions, adjusting the department's authorized strength to 171 officers. Seven of those positions were vacant and would have been filled during the next hiring process, authorities said.
Russell Smith is co-founder of the group Unite Norman, which is seeking to recall Mayor Breea Clark and four council members over the vote. Smith said the departures are “the beginning of a mass exodus of frontline first responders who feel they are no longer backed by the city they serve.”