Tulsa police captain's hearing delayed
BY DAVID HARPER World Staff Writer
Thursday, November 15, 2012
11/15/12 at 4:40 AM
A key hearing that had been scheduled for Wednesday in the civil case of a Tulsa police captain who refused to attend a Law Enforcement Appreciation Day at an Islamic mosque has been postponed.
The Law Enforcement Appreciation Day was held at the Islamic Society of Tulsa's mosque on March 4, 2011, to show the group's gratitude for police officers' response to a threat against it.
Capt. Paul Fields refused to attend and refused to require his subordinates to attend.
Fields was suspended for 40 hours without pay for allegedly violating the department's rule on being obedient and another 40 hours for purportedly violating a rule on conduct unbecoming an officer. He also was temporarily transferred from the Police Department's Riverside Division to another patrol shift at the Mingo Valley Division.
Fields sued in federal court on Feb. 23, 2011. Deputy Chief Daryl Webster, the city of Tulsa and Police Chief Chuck Jordan are the defendants.
An arbitrator found in September that the city failed to establish that it had ordered Fields to attend or to order others to attend and that the discipline for alleged violation of an order should be reversed. But he found that the discipline for conduct unbecoming an officer should be upheld.
He said Fields should receive the pay that was withheld as discipline for violation of an order and should get his former assignment back.
U.S. Chief District Judge Gregory Frizzell said Nov. 1 that the arbitrator's decision did not affect the liability issues in the federal lawsuit and was not relevant to the respective motions for summary judgment, which were to be argued Wednesday.
The hearing was delayed until Dec. 11 because of an unrelated matter.
David Harper 918-581-8359
david.harper@tulsaworld.com
Associated Images:
Attorney Scott Wood (left) talks to his client Tulsa Police Capt. Paul Fields outside the Page Belcher Federal Building on Wednesday. JAMES GIBBARD/Tulsa World
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