Agents from the Oklahoma attorney general's office are now "standing in" for Okemah's police department after the police chief and four officers were either terminated or resigned from the department.
City Manager Kristy Lesley said the city called the attorney general's office in "a moment of need." She noted that due to ongoing personnel issues regarding the situation, she could not comment on the nature of the call to the office. She said, however, that "when you have questions (on what to do), you call them."
Lesley noted that while the four officers and chief are no longer in service, the department still has officers who were working before the AG's office stepped in.
“My office will maintain a strong law enforcement presence in Okemah for as long as necessary, but my agents are approaching their work with professionalism and compassion,” Attorney General Gentner Drummond said in a news release.
The temporary replacement of Okemah officers comes in the wake of an apparent disagreement between a police officer and the city’s code enforcement officer, Kimberly Bradshaw.
It is unclear which officers had resigned or been let go, but according to numerous social media posts, Okemah Police Chief Patrick Williams and officers Trey and Serena Jordan are no longer with the department.
On Aug. 8, Officer Trey Jordan was called to a local property “tied up in an ongoing abatement dispute" between property owner Buster Scott and the city over the building’s deteriorating condition, as reported by the Okemah News Leader.
As seen in body camera footage, Jordan arrived to find Bradshaw and a man she identified as a structural engineer on the property. Jordan told them they were trespassing because they did not have Scott’s permission to be there.
Later that same day, Bradshaw went to the police station requesting to speak with Jordan. According to a police report cited by the Okemah News Leader, Jordan declined to speak with her, saying that the matter was not an emergency and he was the only officer on patrol at the time.
That report also showed that Williams, the police chief, later reached out to Jordan, saying that Bradshaw had claimed that Jordan “was threatening to arrest without knowing the law” and was very rude, according to the newspaper. Jordan allegedly responded by sending the police chief his body camera footage so that he could judge for himself.
Bradshaw told the Okemah News Leader that she had spoken with the property owner’s attorney about her intention to bring an engineer to inspect the building, citing an upcoming abatement hearing in front of the city officials. But due to the trespassing call, Bradshaw’s inspection was not completed, the Okemah News Leader reported.
The newspaper also reported that Jordan was put on administrative leave with pay by Lesley, the city manager, on Aug. 11. According to a notification provided to the Okemah News Leader by Jordan, the Aug. 8 incident involving Bradshaw was stipulated as the reason for the decision.
The alleged terminations and resignations of the police officers have led to outrage on social media among many Okemah residents. More than 600 people have signed an online petition calling for the reinstatement of Officer Trey Jordan and an independent review of the Aug. 8 incident with Bradshaw.
The petition also alleged City Manager Lesley’s handling of Officer Jordan’s incident with Bradshaw created “an appearance of bias and conflict of interest” because they were sisters.
“This is not only about Officer Jordan — it is about maintaining public trust, transparency, and fairness in our city government and police department,” the petition reads.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma AG sends help to shorthanded Okemah police department
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