Calhoun was promoted to Lieutenant in August 2020. I wanted to have a hand in giving my children and everyone else in the community a safer place to grow and succeed. Set as Default Template question, I had already prepared for it and felt I had the right reply for it. Det. The First 48 is television's premier true-crime series. Was it in the same sphere of policing? After a stint in on partrol, Watkins moved to the Detective Division, where he worked in Child Crisis, Burglary, and Armed Robbery Units before moving to lead the Homicide Unit. Of course I entertained it more and more and discussed among my colleagues for the rest of the trip but that was pretty much the decision point that brought me to where I am now. Matt Frazier was a star on the court during his time as a Trojan and earned himself a college basketball scholarship. Frazier: In police work there are always victims. When hes not solving cases, McCoy enjoys rooting for the Kansas City Royals and Nebraska Cornhuskers. Matt: I'm at a football tryout, a "combine" as some call it, for my son who was in grade 6. Detective Matt Frazier left the department for "greener pastures," according to Walker. Low around 36. Detective Rob McCoy joined Tulsa PD in July 1997. Why Matt? Midway through the week we are walking up a mountain side and I'm up ahead of the pack by myself and I start doing a review of my life. All Rights Reserved. Working in homicide, he fully devotes himself to the singular cause of justice for the victim and their families. What, if anything, can be done to reduce the crime rate and murder rate in Tulsa? He also loves traveling with his wife Kathy. Walker still isnt certain what his future entails once he enters retirement. In the end, I received a very appreciative letter from his mother and father, thanking us for all we did for their son and their family. Matt: Yes, but the manager you are meeting has to recognize that too. Matt: None. He also follows his daughters softball team as they compete across the country, juggles reading 4-5 books at a time, and cultivates the worlds finest cop mustache. LinkedIn and 3rd parties use essential and non-essential cookies to provide, secure, analyze and improve our Services, and to show you relevant ads (including professional and job ads) on and off LinkedIn. In addition to being a homicide detective, White is the crisis negotiator for the Special Operations Team and a member of the Critical Incident Response Team. Frazier: I take this one day at a time. While working in Child Crisis, Detective Baumann received a Chiefs award for a multi-victim sexual abuse investigation. Not that Tulsa had a problem solving homicide cases before the national television spotlight arrived. Matt Frazier: (laughs) Yeah, TV star. In late June 2016 I was backpacking in New Mexico when it hit me. Frazier: My fondest memories of Jenks are playing in the Frank Herald Gym. People will talk to you. Me: It goes to show that skills are transferable, you just have to look for that symmetry when contemplating a change of industries. Matthew Frazier is a Regional Sales Manager at Stryker based in Kalamazoo, Michigan. They are very easy to work with during our investigations. He thrives on the challenges that come with the job. He joined the Tulsa Police Department in 1989, and worked in Burglary, Robbery, Patrol and the Special Investigations Division before joining Homicide in 2012. Breezy, with a north wind 15 to 20 mph increasing to 25 to 30 mph after midnight. Dave Walker listens to comments during the Mayor's Policing and Community Coalition at Tulsa City Hall on Tuesday, August 14th, 2018. (It is called The First 48 hours because most homicides are solved from clues that are found within the first 48 hours of a homicide unit being called to a murder scene). Does the show do a good job of capturing what actually occurs in an investigation? Were you practicing your pitch to her? Detective John Brown is a native of Beggs, Oklahoma. According to Brown, the best and most challenging part of a homicide investigation is interviewing a suspect and getting him to confess to his crime; getting inside a killers mind.. And The First 48 portrays it.. Outside candidates. } Walker in part credited the visibility and transparency offered by The First 48 as a key component encouraging witnesses to speak up in Tulsa. He later joined Homicide to work with Sgt. I like the fact that what I did for a brief time in my life will be forever saved. Matt Frazier. IAN MAULE/Tulsa World, Tulsa Police Sgt. Max Ryden is a 20-year veteran of the Tulsa PD where he spent 10 years working the Burglary and Robbery Units before joining Homicide in 2017. Now I didn't know Stryker but I start chatting with him about it and agree to meet with their team. Since then, he and his wife have shared a love for the game of baseball. Ironically last month, as I was thinking about career moves, one of my favorite real life TV shows - The First 48 hours - had an episode that started with Tulsa Homicide Detective Matt Frazier stating that he was thinking of leaving the police force. What was that interview like? Merritt had an uncanny knack for catching killers. What separates a homicide detective who gets results and solves cases from one who doesnt? But he couldnt be seen with the detective. He trained many notable players Matt Holiday, Ubaldo Jimenez, Todd Helton, Larry Walker during his time in the big leagues, and went on to become a personal trainer before joining TPD in 2004. Thank you for reading). It's been 4 years now since you made the move from Homicide Detective, and some might say a TV star, to top Sales Executive at Stryker. No Staff Template Det. var bio = liElement[0] ? I immediately reached out to Matt to ask if he would talk about his transition to see if there are lessons learned that can be of insight to anyone thinking of a career switch. document.getElementById("closeModal").addEventListener("click", function(event) { What are your fondest memories of attending Jenks High School? IAN MAULE/Tulsa World. Det. The victim told police that he and his girlfriend had been walking from the front of an apartment building in the 300 block of East 11th Stree. After attending Oral Roberts University on a basketball scholarship, Matt worked as a spring training strength and conditioning coach for the Colorado Rockies. He worked as a Crime Scene Detective for six years prior to joining Homicide two years ago. I see it all the time. I had 2 young kids who could now watch the show and after 12 years with the forceI don't knowI felt I had a choice to pivot cause I believed I was young enough to make a transition. In 12 years of law enforcement, he has worked as a narcotics investigator, conducted thousands of undercover operations, and spent time investigating bank robberies. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible. I will always cherish those memories along with the relationships with teachers and life-long friends that were made over my time at Jenks High School. Spending time with his wife and two children helps him cope with the stress of the job. A former member of the Fugitive Task Force, Det. I just knew that it was not the with police force. Why did you want to work inthe homicide department? Hes teaching several 4- and 5-year-olds baseball skills a couple of times a week. He noted that the city didnt burn after the controversial police killing of unarmed Terence Crutcher in 2016. document.querySelector("#bioModal .bio-section").innerHTML = bio; Chance of precipitation is 100%. Outside of work, Det. I didn't want to tell family members that their loved ones are dead anymore. The next step is putting the pieces together by conducting interviews, obtaining cell phone data, talking to witnesses, conducting surveillance, and obtaining all the forensic evidence. She enjoys closing cases and helping to offer some closure to the victims families. He and his wife enjoy their four dogs as well. Were you dreading the conversation? Before joining Homicide in 2011, he worked extensively in many different units including Patrol, Narcotics, Burglary, Robbery, and SWAT. How did it come so fast? Maybe tied for number 1. The tipster beckoned Walker pssst to follow him out of sight. Walker spoke Tuesday afternoon at a meeting of the Mayors Police and Community Coalition in City Hall about just that opening the lines of communication between the police and community specifically with disenfranchised minority populations. Kennedy says, the excitement of the job and serving the public is what made me want to be a homicide detective. Kennedy doesnt mind the pressures of his job because he knows how important it is to his community. He wants to listen to concerns and collaborate on ideas to solve the communication divide in innovative fashions. Me: So not even a thought to go back to one of those units? Theyve seen us work and do good things. Put your trust in me. I thought about it, and 3 months later I was somewhere else. The jury found that the Tulsa County jail's private medical provider care at the time violated the civil rights of inmate Gwendolyn Young. I was focused on looking outside of the force when I came home. But I want those to know that it wasn't just a thought, I had also made that decision to move in my heart and head, and I think it's important to remember. In these profiles, Jenks alums from all over the country, from multiple generations, and from a wide array of career paths, will share how their Jenks education set them up for success and how they have become leaders in their industry and community. Since then, Stryker has hired 3 or 4 others from the force. Matt: In the 12 years I was with the police force I worked various units: Drugs, Gangs, Robbery and lastly homicide. Calhoun likes to spend time with friends and family, working out or cheering on all of Houstons professional sports teams. In August 2019, he achieved a career dream by joining Tulsa Homicide Unit. series will feature a Q&A with a notable Jenks graduate. 15+ years in Start-up Recruitment. That was late June 2016 and 3 months later I would be at Styker starting a new career as a sales executive. McCoy is a graduate of University of Central Missouri, and has a wife and two children. They helped me develop a work ethic to make me successful on the court and off the court. I am a general assignment reporter who predominately writes about public health, public safety and justice reform. She always was supportive and said she would be by my side all the years we were together in anything we do. Michael Zenoni joined Tulsa PD in 1981 before he moved to Homicide in 1999. (renews at {{format_dollars}}{{start_price}}{{format_cents}}/month + tax). I carry that work ethic with me today as a homicide detective. Patience is also a big contributor to being a good interviewer. As for the crime rate, obviously more officers would help. What does it take to be a skilled interrogator and get people to tell the truth? He feels fortunate to be working in police work, requiring constant self-asssessment that one doesnt experience in other jobs. Standing in a secluded north Tulsa backyard, Sgt. He finds parallels in coaching sports and managing a squad as he continues to lead this group of dedicated men and women of homicide. Frazier: Coach Scott Padek and the rest of the basketball coaching staff made a huge impression on my life. In schools, students have told Walker their first reaction is to run when an officer shows up in their neighborhood. The show does accurately portray what goes into a homicide case, or at least as much as they can fit into an hour. In Ritters free time, he enjoys doing yard work, working out and riding mountain bikes and road bikes. In the backyard, the man told Walker he would convey what he saw and that he knew of an item nearby related to the crime. I could empathize with people who have been through tragic or life altering experiences. Inspired to help out in the community, Frazier joined the Tulsa PD where he worked for ten years before joining the Homicide Unit in 2014. Website Navigation I knew her immediate reaction would be shock but I knew she would eventually be OK with it. Me: Good thinking. Dave Walker, his long time friend and colleague since the mid-90s. Sgt. You have permission to edit this article. He said lost generations whether due to poverty, drug addiction, lack of education, etc. Stitt expresses 'strong disagreement' with Oklahoma AG over Catholic charter school, More than 800 Oklahoma medical marijuana farms linked to organized crime, drug agency says, Meet the 2023 Mr. Inside/Mr. Dianna Baumann retired from Tulsa Police Department in May 2017. In the Gang unit, I had to sell myself that I was a Gangbanger. With the Drug unit, I had to persuade people to sell me drugs. A statement that covers both my current and old job! Originally from Phoenix, Arizona, Sergeant Nathan Schilling now lives on a farm just outside of Tulsa with his wife and three kids. I was always selling something in every unit that I worked for. Each week throughout the 2016-17 school year, the new Where Are They Now? Det. Did he move numerous times since leaving in 2016? What happened? Theyve seen us. Nothing would get put under the rug anyway, but were really going the extra mile so the public does get to see exactly what we do. Were you nervous? We as homicide detectives are the voice of the victim and I wanted to be that voice. Matt: Yes sir. Frazier: When I arrive on any homicide scene I try to analyze everything I can see. I think that if I can do that I have succeeded. McCoys interest in joining the Police Department began through a childhood friend, whose father was a Trooper and took them on ride-a-longs. The Tulsa Police Departments lead homicide investigator was probing a recent fatal shooting in which a man was found shot to death in a vehicle in a driveway. He became an investigator to bring justice to victims and their families. Frazier: As far as the murder rate goes, we hover around the average of 58-60 murders per year. Often before a game he would talk to the officers at the stadium about what it was like to be a police officer. I tell you though, when he hit me with "why should I hire a guy with no sales experience?" Gatwood received a Medal of Valor for an act of Outstanding Bravery while working as a uniform patrol officer. You interviewed internally at the police force in your career with them but you had most of the skill sets the police force unit was looking for. Jeff Gatwood has always enjoyed helping people, which led him to a career in law enforcement for the past 27 years. Walker said community and spiritual leaders have done well to help foster communication and restraint in trying situations. I think having more officers would open up more resources which would allow us to be proactive as opposed to being reactive. Brown was inspired to become a police officer by his brother. Tulsa Police Sgt. You can't be halfway committed, you have to make that decision and be open to the possibilities of what may come. The unit under Walker is credited with a clearance rate of 98 percent. Instead of just telling my children and grandchildren what I did for a living, Ill actually be able to show them what I did as a homicide detective. Frazier: I wanted to make a difference. I often wonder what would motivate someone to do so? Frazier: It has been really fun working with the show. event.preventDefault(); - Maj. Jacob Fuchs (USAF), Where Are They Now? Matt: Nope. Mark Kennedy has been married for 27 years and has a 21-year-old son. Dave Walker addresses a group during the Mayors Policing and Community Coalition at Tulsa City Hall on Tuesday. Det. He enjoys a round or two of golf in his off time to relieve the stresses of the job./p>. If we all had to work each case as one person our solve rate would take a huge dive. Set as Default Template A proud father of two, Frazier spends much of his free time at his childrens sporting events. I was assigned to the Uniform Division North midnight patrol shift. Where did he move? He was also part of the Special Operation Team (SWAT) for twelve years, and worked in Burglary for one year. We were on a week long trip trekking through the mountains of New Mexico. Kennedy is the recipient of numerous awards, including two Medals of Valor. Schilling was promoted to Sergeant in October 2019. Taking things home at night in homicide does not make for great dinner conversations. Matt: Yes, I would say it probably helped it along. A great lesson for those out there thinking of a career transition. Describe what it is like to start a case and slowly put the pieces together? Matt: Maybe for a millisecond right after the epiphany on that trip in June but again, having to deal with trash. 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