Protest Held Against Former TPD Officer Betty Shelby

Monday, August 27th 2018, 3:14 am

By: Joseph Holloway

Community leaders held a rally and news conference Monday opposing a law enforcement training class being taught by former Tulsa Police officer Betty Shelby.

A few dozen people turned out to attend the protest that was set up in front of the courthouse across from the library. Several pastors and activists spoke to the crowd.

This week, Shelby is teaching a CLEET-approved class called "surviving the aftermath of a critical incident."

This comes nearly two years after Shelby shot and killed Terence Crutcher.

The Tulsa County Sheriff's Office, which is hosting the class, said she routinely teaches class for numerous agencies, but these opponents said the move is disrespectful, hurtful and reopens the wounds after the officer-involved shooting and Shelby's acquittal.

"I thought it was insensitive. It lacked integrity and it also lacked empathy. No one seems to really care about the family itself," said Reverend Rodney Goss."It endorses her side of the story. It rewards her for what she has done, and it continues the narrative of her team that somehow, she's a hero in this whole picture."

Shelby is now a deputy for the Rogers County Sheriff’s Office after she resigned from TPD.

We The People Oklahoma is urging the Tulsa County Sheriff's Office to remove Shelby from a CLEET-approved class set for Tuesday, August 28th.

We The People Oklahoma issued a statement:

"Deputy Betty Shelby, 44, has presumably been selected to teach this course, which allows for 4 CLEET hours including 2 crucial required mental health hours, because she is the former Tulsa Police officer who shot and killed an unarmed 40-year-old black man, Terence Crutcher. We The People Oklahoma seriously questions both the judgment and motives that the Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office would have in allowing Deputy Shelby to direct such a crucial course. After all, Shelby herself shifted the blame from Crutcher’s death both to police training videos and, shockingly, Crutcher himself. Although she was ultimately acquitted, jurors cautioned in a letter that they found Shelby wholly unfit to ever serve as a law enforcement officer."

VIDEO: I’ve been talking with organizers planning today’s rally opposing #BettyShelby’s CLEET-approved law enforcement class, which is also scheduled for today. @NewsOn6 pic.twitter.com/5cjQV6w4ru — Joseph Holloway (@a_cupof_JOE) August 27, 2018

A jury acquitted Betty Shelby in the 2016 shooting death of Terence Crutcher. She left the Tulsa Police Department and eventually went to work for the Rogers County Sheriff's Office.

Special Coverage: Betty Shelby Trial

5/16/2018 Related Story: Betty Shelby Discusses Her Life One Year After Acquittal

6/14/2018 Related Story: Terence Crutcher's Dad Urges Tulsa Implement Policing Reforms