Tulsa City Council members unanimously delayed a vote on creating an independent police oversight office, pushing the decision to Wednesday, Oct. 14.

The deferral came Wednesday, Sept. 23, after a committee meeting where 10 residents spoke on the proposed ordinance. Seven supported it and three opposed it, The Oklahoma Eagle reported.

Councilors Vanessa Hall-Harper, District 1, and Lori Decter Wright, District 7, proposed the ordinance. It would establish an Office of Independent Review and Oversight of Public Safety with a full-time director, a deputy director and an 11-member civilian board to monitor investigations across all public safety departments, according to KJRH. Its findings would be advisory only and would not transfer disciplinary or operational authority from existing departments.

Decter Wright made the motion to defer. She said five votes are needed to send the ordinance to Mayor Monroe Nichols' desk.

"You need five votes to get to the mayor's desk, and I believe if we do, the mayor will sign it," Decter Wright said at the Sept. 23 meeting.

The mayor's office said Sept. 23 that Nichols was waiting to hear more about the proposal before deciding whether to support it, Public Radio Tulsa reported.

Family, FOP testify

Debbie Tyler, the mother of Michael Glunt, held up a picture of herself kneeling at her son's coffin while urging councilors to act. Glunt, 33, was shot and killed by Tulsa police in February 2026 during a mental health crisis. An autopsy determined he was shot nine times, though police initially said three, the Tulsa Flyer reported.

His sister, Karmen Glunt, told the committee that Tulsa has a pattern of "only doing the right thing when there's public pressure."

Sean McKenna, counsel for the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 93, testified against the ordinance. He called it "legally premature, operationally redundant and structurally incapable of delivering the independence it promises."

Competing proposals

Councilor Karen Gilbert, District 5, said she supports citizen oversight but opposes the independent model. Gilbert, who is executive director of Tulsa Crime Stoppers, said she is drafting a separate ordinance to create a citizen advisory board. She and Councilor Christian Bengel, District 6, asked colleagues to slow down. Bengel said he has always opposed "this kind of oversight."

Councilor Anthony Archie said he is not opposed to oversight and raised concerns about the number of lawsuit settlements the city has paid related to law enforcement. He said he wants to give Police Chief Jonathan Brooks the opportunity to propose his own plan. Brooks was named chief in August 2026 by Nichols.

Hall-Harper, who has pushed for police oversight for a decade, warned the delay is a familiar pattern. "Every chief has always said, 'Well, give me a chance to make changes' … and it never happens," she told colleagues. "I've been here for 10 years, so I'm telling you, based on my experience, that it's just a tactic to maintain the status quo."

Councilor Laura Bellis said city leaders often respond to public safety incidents rather than proactively seeking solutions.

Councilors Phil Lakin and Carol Bush were absent Sept. 23 due to delayed flights. Bush leaves office in December.

The council takes up the ordinance again Wednesday, Oct. 14. Five votes are required to send it to the mayor.