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New Tulsa County Acting Sheriff Gives First Interviews

Tulsa County

Tulsa County’s third sheriff in four months took time Wednesday to talk about what the agency will do until the yet-to-be-elected new sheriff takes office in mid-April.

Michelle Robinette took over as acting Tulsa County sheriff three weeks ago after former acting Sheriff Rick Weigel announced his retirement. Weigel took charge of the agency in mid-October after Sheriff Stanley Glanz resigned in the aftermath of a grand jury indictment.

An independent audit of the entire sheriff’s office is due at the end of the month. Robinette said she’ll adopt any immediate recommendations from it.

"If they're long-term changes, then we'll put together a plan of action to present to the new sheriff coming in so he's not starting out with a blank slate, that he's got some good footing to start his tenure on," Robinette said.

Robinette said she’s also continuing Weigel’s work to implement the grand jury’s eight recommendations for improvement.

She said with the shooting death of an unarmed suspect and subsequent grand jury investigation, deputies’ morale has taken a lot of hits over the past year.

"It's starting to stable out now, and I think that it's changing for the better," Robinette said. "They want to know. They want to be informed. They want somebody to communicate, and I've tried to do that and I've tried to start that trend."

Before becoming acting sheriff, Robinette oversaw the jail expansion and a new mental health diversion program, both of which are still being built.

"I brought somebody over to help me with the new pods and the new mental health diversion program, and I may bring somebody else over because it's starting to pick up and be very busy," Robinette said. "So, we're making the necessary adjustments, but I don't think anything's being missed or overlooked right now."

Robinette expects to serve as acting sheriff until mid-April. The special general election for the office is April 5.

Matt Trotter joined KWGS as a reporter in 2013. Before coming to Public Radio Tulsa, he was the investigative producer at KJRH. His freelance work has appeared in the Los Angeles Times and on MSNBC and CNN.