“I got with the appropriate deputy chief of operations and then told (the division commanders) I want the buckets removed because they violated city policy,” Jordan told the Tulsa World on Monday evening. “We are not allowed to solicit donations for anything in the workplace because of city policy, unless it’s approved by the city of Tulsa.”

Officer Demita Kinard, who serves as a police spokeswoman, said officers commonly participate in fundraisers benefiting foundations such as the United Way, as well as ask fellow officers for donations for their children’s schools, but a request for aid to an out-of-state officer likely wouldn’t fall under a city-approved donation, she said.

“If there were donations (for Wilson), it wouldn’t be through the department,” she said. “They would be through our brothers and sisters of the FOP.”

No Police Department official could say who placed the bucket at the division headquarters. However, when questioned about the bucket’s possible association with Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 93, which represents Tulsa police officers, FOP spokeswoman Jessica Caswell declined to comment.

“What our officers do is their business,” Caswell said.