Dr. Travis Yates

Summary of qualifications

• Major for the Tulsa Police Department
• Over 30 years of law enforcement experience
• Doctoral Degree in Strategic Leadership from Liberty University
• Graduated from Northeastern State University with bachelor & master’s degree in criminal justice
• Graduate of the FBI National Academy, IACP Leadership Trainer and Police Executive Development & Leadership Program
• Over 26 years of management & leadership experience across a wide variety of assignments while serving a diverse community and workforce
• Exceptional leadership, communication & problem-solving skills utilizing business processes and analytical skills
• Extensive record of collaborating with community members, leaders and service groups to address neighborhood concerns and quality of life issues
• Experience in labor contract negotiations and grievance procedures including board member service with the Fraternal Order of Police
• Recognized court expert in law enforcement policy, training & best practices with prior consulting for attorneys and municipalities in several states
• Business & non-profit experience including the former president of ALERT International, Ten-Four Ministries and founder of Below 100, Vest for Life & the Law Enforcement Recruiter Association
• Broad range of community engagement experiences including the development of the Tulsa Police Activity League, Junior Police Academy & the Downtown IMPACT Unit, utilizing community-oriented strategies to reduce crime
• Consultant with Lexipol during their policy and training implementation within the state of Oklahoma

professional experience

Major, Tulsa Police Department                                                                                                            2019-Present
Information Services Division

• Commander responsible for all record management within the Tulsa Police Department including subpoenas, open record requests and the record management system with management over 35 employees that are both sworn and non-sworn.
• Executive lead for all city jail operations including the management of the two-million-dollar contract while overseeing 23 contract employees and director.
• Executive lead for the transition of a multi-million-dollar records management system that will begin operation in 2022.
• Executive lead following a massive data hack directed towards the city of Tulsa. Developed processes to transition all police records to paper and converting thousands of paper documents back to digital format.
• Teaching Assistant, Florida State University.
• Developed a new training protocol for all jail employees in August 2021.
• Developed the Carfax program that provides free collision reports to citizens.
• Executive lead for agency hosting of the 2021 ALERT International Conference.
• Obtained grant funding for software and currently developing an online portal for citizens to obtain open record requests from the internet.
• Developer and author of the Tulsa Police Department Annual Report.
• Developer and author of the Tulsa Police Department Traffic Safety Analysis Report.
• Redesigned the Tulsa Police Car Graphics including the development and copyright of the police motto “One Tulsa.”

Major, Tulsa Police Department                                                                                                                  2016-2019
Special Operations Division

• Commander responsible for the Special Operations Team, K-9 Unit, Motorcycle Unit, Helicopter Unit, Airport Operations, Reserve Officer Program, Special Response Team, Incident Management Team, Search and Rescue Unit, Bomb Squad & Dive Team.
• Restructured the motorcycle training and tryouts on a regular basis regardless of openings to maintain “part-time” motorcycle officers that were being mentored for full-time work in the unit.
• Expanded the Helicopter Unit from observation to the beginning stages of becoming a rescue unit.
• Expanded the Dive Team from evidentiary recovery to the beginning stages of a rescue unit.
• Expanded the role of Reserve Officers to include all calls for service and off-duty responsibilities.
• Executive lead with the City of Tulsa Health & Safety Committee focusing on risk management.
• Executive lead on the development of the Special Response Team that responds to civil disturbances.
• Chair of the Tulsa Police Collision Committee.
• Member of the Tulsa Police Pursuit Committee.
• Developed an Emergency Medical Technician Training Program for the division.
• Developed and implemented the Tulsa Police Activity League which is a city-wide crime prevention program designed to build positive relationships between youth, police officers and the community through recreational, educational, and mentoring programs offered to the youth free of charge. The first year of the program saw a reach of 10,000 kids along with the full-time PAL officer receiving the Officer of the Year. Programs developed under TPAL included PAL Fit, Archery, Ropes Course, Basketball, Baseball and Golf.
• Developed and implemented the Tulsa Police Junior Police Academy, placing youth in an academy setting for a 40-hour block of instruction.
• Proposal to launch a Leadership Academy & Risk Management Unit for the Tulsa Police Department.
• Member of Project Trust that embedded law enforcement in a school classroom each week.
• Tulsa PAL was developed and launched without financial support from the city of Tulsa. I worked with the Tulsa Community Foundation to incorporate the non-profit and the Tulsa Police Foundation to fund the various programs. The HelmZar Challenge Course was obtained as a lease from Tulsa Public Schools, making the TPAL Center one of the largest PAL locations in the United States and located in the heart of Tulsa North. In working with Tulsa Transit, a bus stop became permanent at the center for children to attend events after school.
• Developed the concept of a Tulsa Police Sports Complex to be located on the property adjacent to the Gilcrease Patrol Division in Tulsa North. Partnered with the city of Tulsa to obtain the land for building a multi-acre facility that will include a soccer field, baseball field, track, and obstacle course. Architecture designs were developed, and initial site work conducted. Five hundred thousand dollars was initially raised for the phase one build.
• Developed all marketing for TPAL including the personal financing of the logo and website design located at: tulsapal.org.

Major, Tulsa Police Department                                                                                                                  2014-2016
Gilcrease Patrol Division

• Commander responsible for all patrol operations in Tulsa North that included 145 sworn and non-sworn personnel.
• Developed a training section at the division including the appointment of a training officer that provided an option of an additional thirty-five CLEET approved courses for divisional officers.
• Developed a traffic unit initiative where traffic enforcement was placed in high crime areas, resulting in a reduction of part 1 crimes for the targeted area.
• Developed the Downtown IMPACT Unit to address rising crime in Downtown Tulsa. Comprising of four officers, this unit utilized community policing strategies to work with residents and businesses on various issues. A single communication point was set up beyond 911 for quality-of-life issues with a response time of less than an hour to address various non-criminal concerns.
• Developed a strategy for the division to document and attend approximately 200 community events each year.
• Adjunct Professor, Oklahoma Wesleyan University.
• Worked with the Tulsa Dream Center and embedded law enforcement in various programs.

Captain, Tulsa Police Department                                                                                                            2012-2014
Assistant Academy Director

• Commander responsible for all annual training for 800 sworn law enforcement officers, agency recruiting and the Tulsa Police Fitness & Wellness Program.
• Developed and implemented the “elective” course program that enabled officers to choose from over thirty classes in a wide range of areas as additional training throughout the year.
• Developed and implemented the forty-hour annual block training program, enabling additional training hours for officers with a lesser impact on operations.
• Expanded recruiting efforts to on site universities outside Oklahoma including launching online campaigns.
• Developed “CrossFit 1907,” an official affiliate of CrossFit and converted the agency fitness program to functional fitness, resulting in fewer training injuries. Grant funding was pursued and utilized to convert all fitness equipment to match the new program.
• Developed “TPDFIT” that provided free fitness related classes to all police officers including Jiu Jitsu, Boxing and CrossFit along with an online presence to assist law enforcement after hours.

Captain, Tulsa Police Department                                                                                                            2009-2012
Riverside Patrol Division

• Managed a patrol shift of approximately forty police officers and supervisors responsible for calls for service.
• Selected by California POST to serve on a training committee designed to reduce law enforcement vehicle incidents.
• Developed and implemented crime prevention strategies aimed at residents including brochures and an online campaign.
• Proposed the Oklahoma “Blue Alert” System to the Oklahoma House of Representatives that became House Resolution 1001.
• Launched and implemented “Vest for Life,” that provided over 5,000 free ballistic vests to law enforcement.
• Led a team of Tulsa police officers to the Philippines and trained the National Police.
• Launched “Adopt A Cop” program along with a Disaster Response Team that assisted with law enforcement in disaster areas that had lost homes that included responses to Missouri and Alabama.
• Developed Below 100, a national risk management training program adopted as mandatory academy training in several states including Oklahoma.
• President of ALERT International, that led and managed a non-profit organization consisting of over 500 trainers dedicated to law enforcement driver training.

Captain, Tulsa Police Department                                                                                                            2005-2009
Headquarters

• Commander responsible for Crime Analysis, Grants, Media Relations, Crime Stoppers, Project Management, Policy, Procedures and Technology.
• Developed and implemented a reorganization of Headquarters that brought smaller units together under one command, called CAPERS.
• Transitioned the Media Relations Unit from reactive to proactive that included developing accounts on various social media platforms that included a daily show on YouTube.
• Launched and hosted one of the first law enforcement podcasts in the country featuring various Tulsa police officers and units.
• Executive lead in a complete redesign of the public website.
• Adjunct Professor, University of Phoenix.
• Executive lead on MGT Staffing Study for the department.
• Executive lead on the electronic citation program.
• Proposed and transitioned all agency policy and procedures from paper to digital upon obtaining grant funding for Software.
• Project Manager in developing CompStat including the renovation of the Downtown CompStat Room.
• Built, authored, and managed a Blog for the police chief to speak directly to citizens.
• Proposed and implemented the “Text a Tip” hotline with the Tulsa Crime Commission.
• Proposed and implemented tire deflation devices for patrol operations that were funded by a grant submission.
• Project Manager and Committee Chair on the new uniform transition that included obtaining two million dollars in funding with the department being named the “Best Dressed Law Enforcement” agency by the National Association of Uniform Manufacturers and Distributors.
• Led and managed various agency programs and contracts including ballistic vests, uniforms, and technology.
• Project Manager and Committee Chair on the new Tulsa Police Patch design and implementation.
• Project Manager and Committee Chair on the development of the Centennial Badge.

Captain, Tulsa Police Department                                                                                                        2004-2005
Gilcrease Patrol Division

• Managed a patrol shift of approximately forty police officers and supervisors responsible for calls for service.
• Board Member, Oklahoma Special Olympics

 Sergeant, Tulsa Police Department                                                                                                       1998-2004
Gilcrease Patrol Division

• Led, managed, and developed officers assigned to a shift that included on duty training, supervising calls for service, crime scene management, tactical decisions, complaint investigations, employee evaluations and supervising field training assignments.
• Field Training Supervisor for new supervisors.
• Commander of the Tulsa Police Precision Driving Unit for over a decade.

Corporal, Tulsa Police Department                                                                                                         1996-1997
Special Investigations Division

• Evening supervisor for the Tulsa Police Gang Unit responsible for investigating gang related crimes and gathering intelligence for patrol operations.
• Management & supervision of the Tulsa State Fair Security for the agency.

Corporal, Tulsa Police Department                                                                                                                   1996
Gilcrease Patrol Division

• Led, managed, and developed officers assigned to a shift that included on duty training, supervising calls for service, crime scene management, tactical decisions, complaint investigations and employee evaluations.

Officer, Tulsa Police Department                                                                                                              1993-1996
Gilcrease Patrol Division

• Responded to calls for service, conducted direct patrols, worked with citizens to solve neighborhood problems, reduce crime, and improve overall quality of life in Tulsa North.
• Volunteer with Big Brothers & Sisters of Green Country.
• Buckle Down Award Winner for DUI Enforcement.

Education/Training

Liberty University

• Doctoral Degree in Strategic Leadership
• Graduate with Distinction
• Dissertation focused on how communication affects the performance of law enforcement organizations

Northeastern State University

• Master of Science Degree in Criminal Justice – 1997
• Bachelor of Science Degree in Criminal Justice – 1992

FBI National Academy, Session #227

• University of Virginia, 17 credit hours granted

Police Executive Development & Leadership Program, University of Tulsa

• Advisory Board Award for Research Excellence

Leadership in Police Organizations, IACP

• Certified Trainer

Leadership Tulsa

Courageous Leadership, Dolan & Associates

Lean Six Sigma, Green Belt

Emergency Management Training

CLEET Advanced Instructor

Professional Association Membership

FBI National Academy Associates

International Association of Chiefs of Police

Oklahoma Association of Chiefs of Police

American Society for Industrial Security

Leadership Tulsa

Association of Law Enforcement Emergency Vehicle Response Trainers

International Law Enforcement Educators’ Training Association

Honors and Awards

Officer of the Year

• Awarded in 1996 / Nominated in 2016

International Law Enforcement Trainer of the Year

• Awarded in 2008 by the International Law Enforcement Educators’ Training Association

Advanced Drivers of America Honorary Fellowship

• Inaugural Recipient in 2005

ALERT International Lifetime Membership Awarded for Excellence in Service

Medal of Valor

• Awarded for pulling an intended murder victim from a burning vehicle and arresting the suspect

Life Saving Award

• Awarded for pulling a suicidal individual from a high-rise building

Chief’s Award (4)

• Awarded for Law Enforcement Driving Program that reduced collisions by 50%
• Awarded for a decade of service in the Tulsa Police Honor Guard
• Awarded for national recognition of training efforts for law enforcement
• Awarded for the development of the COMPSTAT Program

Commendation Award

• Awarded for the development of the Downtown IMPACT Unit