LDF and the Terence Crutcher Foundation Applaud Tulsa’s Mayor for Signing an Executive Order to Advance Alternatives-to-Policing

Thursday, the Legal Defense Fund (LDF) joins the Terence Crutcher Foundation in supporting Executive Order No. 2026-01, issued Monday by Tulsa Mayor Monroe Nichols, which establishes the Task Force on Community-Based Mental Health, Behavioral Health, and Alternative Response.

Nearly a decade after Terence Crutcher was shot and killed by Tulsa Police Officer Betty Jo Shelby, the city is working to chart a new path forward to build a more effective system of public safety.

"This executive order represents the kind of bold leadership that communities across the country have been demanding for years," said Dr. Tiffany Crutcher, Executive Director of the Terence Crutcher Foundation. "Nearly ten years after my twin brother, Terence Crutcher, was killed by Tulsa police, we continue to push for solutions that prioritize care over criminalization and prevention over punishment. We applaud Mayor Nichols for taking this important step and creating a pathway for those most impacted by policing and systemic disinvestment to help shape the future of public safety in Tulsa. Our hope is that this task force will move beyond recommendations and produce meaningful, measurable change that saves lives and strengthens our communities."

"The signing of this executive order and creation of this task force are necessary steps toward building a city that protects all its residents and provides safety responsibly and equally," said Ralikh Hayes, Senior Community Organizer at LDF. "Too many Tulsans in need are met with criminalization rather than care. Evidence shows that cities achieve better outcomes for residents if services are available when responding to emergencies, but the task force is only worth what it can achieve. We look forward to supporting this important work and will measure its effectiveness with the real changes it produces for Tulsa's communities."

The new task force will be empowered to analyze emergency response calls, research best practices at the local and national level, and develop policy and practice recommendations for the design and implementation of alternative response programs. Critically, the task force will incorporate the voices of Tulsans most impacted by policing and systems of disinvestment, including representatives from the four zip codes most affected by emergency response and advocates working on issues pertaining to the criminal legal system, housing insecurity, mental and behavioral health, education, and immigration.

LDF and the Terence Crutcher Foundation are committed to advancing true public safety and building safe and stable communities free from police violence. The organizations advocate for alternative response methods that do not carry the threat of violence and discrimination.

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Founded in 1940, the Legal Defense Fund (LDF) is the nation's first civil rights legal organization. LDF has been completely separate from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) since 1957, though it was founded under the leadership of Thurgood Marshall while he was at the NAACP. LDF's Thurgood Marshall Institute (TMI) is a division of LDF that undertakes innovative research and houses LDF's archive. In all media attributions, please refer to us as the Legal Defense Fund or LDF (do not include NAACP) and refer to the Institute as LDF's Thurgood Marshall Institute or TMI.

The Terence Crutcher Foundation is a Tulsa-based nonprofit organization dedicated to creating just, safe, and liberated communities free from violence and harm. Through policy advocacy, community organizing, youth development, economic empowerment, and cultural preservation, the Foundation works to advance equity and opportunity for all. Grounded in the enduring legacy of Greenwood's Black Wall Street, the Foundation advances systemic change while investing in the strength, resilience, and future of historically underserved communities.