MOVING UP Deputy Chief Dennis Larsen: He will lead TPD’s Operations Bureau.
A new deputy chief has been appointed to lead the Tulsa Police Department's Operations Bureau.
Dennis Larsen has been promoted from major to deputy chief, filling a vacancy left by Deputy Chief Bill Wells' retirement. The promotion follows a competitive process involving several written and oral exercises, according to the department. Larsen has 28 years of service with the Tulsa Police Department and commanded the Uniform Division Southwest before his promotion. He previously had commanded the Special Operations Team and the Bomb Squad. "Deputy Chief Larsen has served the department and the citizens of Tulsa with distinction for the entirety of his career," Police Chief Ron Palmer said. "His promotion will allow him to make additional meaningful contributions to the good of the department in his role of commander of the largest single contingency of personnel within the Tulsa Police Department." Larsen will take over as the operations deputy chief, which oversees the patrol divisions and the Special Operations Division within the Police Department. He is a graduate of the 185th Session of the FBI National Academy, Leadership Tulsa Class 13 and the FBI Hazardous Device School. Mayor Kathy Taylor said Larsen has shown exceptional leadership, both in the Police Department and in the community. "As deputy chief, he will be in a position to continue leading our great Tulsa Police Department and our city forward," she said. A promotion ceremony will be held at 11 a.m. Monday in City Hall Room 1101.
