The Oklahoma Eagle Newswire
The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF) today filed an open records request to gather information on the Tulsa Police Department (TPD). The ACLU of Oklahoma joined LDF in this inquiry regarding all aspects of the TPD’s practices, policies, and procedures, including but not limited to use-of-force; de-escalation; stops, searches, and detentions; arrests; community policing; and all directives related to biased policing based on race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, gender, gender identity, and disability.
In particular, the open records request seeks information related to the TPD’s:
• Organizational structure and leadership;
• Policies, procedures, and related materials;
• Training;
• Incident reports, complaints, and other data;
• Accountability and review; and
• Crisis intervention and miscellaneous requests.
Since the death of Terence Crutcher at the hands of the TPD, LDF has monitored local residents’ concerns about excessive use of force and alleged racially-biased police arrests and stops, including the allegations raised in the recently amended civil rights complaint filed by the Crutcher family. LDF’s Thurgood Marshall Institute launched its Policing Reform Campaign in 2015, and has worked to transform policing culture and practices, eliminate racial bias and profiling, and end police violence against citizens. The Campaign advocates for unbiased and accountable policing by advancing laws, policies, and practices at the national, state, and local levels.
About The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF)
Founded in 1940, the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF) is the nation’s first civil and human rights law organization and has been completely separate from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) since 1957—although LDF was originally founded by the NAACP and shares its commitment to equal rights. LDF’s Thurgood Marshall Institute is a multi-disciplinary and collaborative hub within LDF that launches targeted campaigns and undertakes innovative research to shape the civil rights narrative. In media attributions, please refer to us as the NAACP Legal Defense Fund or LDF.
