About Tulsa Police Department

With nearly 750 full-time sworn officers and over 150 civilian personnel, Tulsa Police Department (TPD) is the second-largest municipal police department in the state of Oklahoma. TPD received its accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA) in 2005. Below, you can learn more about Tulsa police department test and how you can enlist to join the police academy.

Motto: “Justice for All”

History: Although Tulsa Police Department had patrol officers in duty since 1905, it was formally established through a mandate of Tulsa city council in 1907. Since its founding, 40 officers have laid down their lives in the line of duty.

Size: Tulsa Police department’s jurisdiction extends over an area of just over 202 square miles, in which a population of 400,000 people resides. The city is divided into 3 geographic divisions for efficient patrolling: Gilcrease division, Mingo Valley division and Riverside Division.

Headquarters: 600 Civic Ctr, 74103 Tulsa, Oklahoma

Divisions: The department is divided into 3 major functional bureaus: operations bureau – which carries out patrolling in the 3 divisions of the city and overlooks the functioning of specialized units; investigations bureau – responsible for special investigations, criminal investigations and the detective bureau of the department; administrative bureau – which is responsible for recruitment and training of officers, information technology division, allocation of budgets and grants, etc., Each bureau is headed by a Deputy Chief of Police.

How to become an officer: Candidates are expected to take the Tulsa police department test which is comprised of a written examination, conducted by the recruitment division of the department, a physical fitness test, and an oral interview. The test is designed to evaluate candidates’ comprehension skills, problem-solving skills, inductive reasoning capabilities, visualization skills, and Behavioral and attitudinal attributes. The first section consists of 100 questions that test cognitive capabilities and the second section consist of 140 questions that assess candidates’ behavioral and attitude component. The Tulsa Police Department Physical Ability Test consists of a series of obstacles and tasks have been designed to provide a well-rounded assessment of the physical abilities that are required to perform day-to-day tasks related to law enforcement. The test includes running, ducking under an obstacle, weaving around obstacles, climbing up and down approximately two stories of stairs, climbing a six-foot wooden privacy fence, and climbing a four-foot chain-link fence.

Average salary: $44,290-$49,211 annually, rising with an increase in experience and position.

Police academy: Candidates who successfully pass the Tulsa Police department exam can join the academy. It takes 26-weeks of physical training, classroom education – where recruits learn report writing, law enforcement best practices, defense tactics, firearms training, operation of police vehicles – including the highly specialized Law Enforcement Driving Training (LEDT), simulated scenario, and equipment training.

Registration: More details on the  Tulsa police exam test can be found on their website. As of 2020, competition for places within Tulsa police academy is very high.