'I've Always Been Invested In The Best Outcomes For Our City': Tulsa Police Chief Franklin On His Retirement Decision

Tulsa Police Chief Wendell Franklin reflected on his accomplishments, regrets, and wishes for the department's future as he prepares to retire in July.

News On 6’s Lori Fullbright sat down with the chief in his office on Thursday about the best and worst days on the job and the message he has for both citizens and his troops.

After four years as chief and 27 years on the force, Wendell Franklin is ready to hang up the badge and gun.

His father passed at age 42, and Chief Franklin had just turned 50, so for him, the timing felt right.

He may not miss some aspects of the job, but there is something he will miss.

"The people. I've really enjoyed the people in Tulsa, not just within the department. There have been so many people involved in making this job and making me look good. I'm gonna miss those people," he said.

His worst day as chief, without a doubt, was the murder of Sergeant Craig Johnson and the attempted murder of Officer Auresh Zarkeshan.

"I will never forget because, at 3 o'clock in the morning, I got out of bed, wondering why I woke up, and the phone starts ringing, and typically, when the phone rings at that time of night, it's a bad thing," Franklin said.

Beyond the shock of that night, the hardest moment was learning the body camera footage would be released to the public.

"I did not want the video released because I did not want his children to grow up seeing that video on YouTube,” Franklin said. “I thought it was so unfair. That was a tough moment."

A change he likes is law enforcement focusing more on data to solve crimes, rather than saturating an area where a shooting happened and stopping every car in sight and bothering good citizens, technology allows them to take a more precise approach.

"It is more focus on the individuals in the shooting, ID the vehicles, where they live and hang out, focus from that perspective," he said.

A change he doesn't like is society's push to clear prisons and change laws to reduce crimes and punishment, especially when it comes to drug laws.

"The prisons aren't as crowded, but we have a lot more crime in the city and more violent crime out there."

He wants citizens to know how hard police work is and urges them to stop criticizing every move and become part of the solution.

He wants his officers to know it's more important than ever to work with the community.

"There is no United States of America without American policing; it doesn't exist,” he said. “It can't exist, so we have to make sure we're 100% engaged, 100% part of our community."

Chief Franklin plans to be the director of security for BOK Financial, and his last day is July 31st.

Related: Tulsa Police Chief Holds Press Conference To Retirement; Search To Begin For Next Chief