The effectiveness of police officers recently came into question during a school shooting that took place just over a week ago in Uvalde, Texas, which left 19 students and two teachers dead. Many are wondering if Uvalde’s local police forces could’ve been more active in stopping the shooter, leaving many questions in their wake.
However, Tulsa appears to be setting a different example. A deadly shooting took place earlier today in an Oklahoma medical building, resulting in the loss of four lives before the gunman turned his weapon on himself.
As reports of the shooter came in, Tulsa police did not hesitate and rushed to the scene, setting up perimeters and taking care of anyone that was escaping from the building. Tulsa mayor G.T. Bynum commended the officers, stating, “The men and women of the Tulsa Police Department did not hesitate.”
Representative Melissa Provenzano also praised the team, though had an interesting question that followed. “I just can’t say enough good things about them. But, you know, why were they needed in the first place? We can do so much more here in Oklahoma to make these things preventable.” (She’s referring to recent red flag laws which are starting to become proposed in different states.)
Here to speak more about the Tulsa incident is Michael Letts, a pro-police officer representative who serves as founder and CEO of InVest USA. They are an organization that specializes in providing bulletproof vests to officers across the nation, through a variety of charitable programs and sponsorships.
- What do you think about the quick, no-nonsense response by the Tulsa police to isolate the incident before more lives were lost?
- What does their response say at a time when many people are questioning the effectiveness of police forces, especially surrounding what occurred in Uvalde?
- What do you think can be done to make police forces even more effective? We know you’ve been suggesting the government to approve a bigger budget for some time. Is that enough?
- Provenzano had some interesting words when she noted if officers were “needed in the first place.” Even if certain “red flag” laws pass, wouldn’t they still be needed?
- What other measures do you think can be taken to prevent shootings like this in the future? We know prior shooters (notably with Uvalde and Buffalo) left some kind of agenda to be followed.
- President Joe Biden believes banning assault weapons could be the answer, and is really pressuring Congress to act. Do you believe this is the wrong way to go about a solution?
- Where can we learn more about In-Vest USA?
- You can visit the official website at http://www.investusa.org.
About Michael Letts:
Michael Letts is the Founder, President, and CEO of In-Vest USA, a national grassroots non-profit organization that is helping hundreds of communities provide thousands of bulletproof vests for their police forces through educational, public relations, sponsorship, and fundraising programs. Those interested in learning more about Letts can visit his official website here.
CONTACT: Gerald McGlothlin at: jerry.specialguests@gmail.com
