Name: Sgt. Dave Walker
Hometown: St. Louis, Mo.
Current City: Tulsa, Okla.
Alma Mater: Central Missouri ’81
How has SigEp affected your career in law enforcement?
I came to college a shy kid that did not socialize well. Joining SigEp forced me to talk to others outside my circle of friends, and I learned that the help of others is crucial for survival. [The SigEp brotherhood helped me survive some difficult growing pains then, just as my enforcement brothers help me survive difficult moments I face professionally.] The biggest thing I learned in college is there is safety in numbers. In law enforcement the same is true. I learned to reach out for assistance in college, and that is essential in my position today. To learn that others will help when asked was apparent in Warrensburg, Mo. then and is apparent today in Tulsa, Okla. I learned to talk to others. Communication is such a big part of law enforcement today that when I look back, besides my wife, SigEp [is what] prepared me to reach out.
What was the defining moment of your college career?
I was close to graduating and low on money when I entered my last semester of college. I had to graduate and get a job to survive. The SigEps allowed me to stay in the front room of the house rent free until my loan came through. They housed me and fed me until I could get gone. The organization asked nothing in return, and I remember that to this day. I hope to repay that kindness in a special way some day. Without that help and allowing me to complete that last semester, no telling where I would be today.
What has been the proudest accomplishment of your professional career?
When you work so many varied positions in a long career, it is hard to point to one accomplishment. I will answer that with this. Personal accomplishments pale in comparison of the department accomplishments that I have been a part of. I was the homicide sergeant on the Good Friday Killings in 2012 [that was reported through the international and national media]. My squad was featured in the Fairmont Quadruple killing in 2013 and latest in the killing of Khalid Jabara. In each case, we have been held up to intense scrutiny and persevered. We have been featured on A&E’s “The First 48” for the past two years. [The show] gives insight into the workings of a homicide investigation. The thing I can look back on and say a difference was made is when my squad’s Tip Sheets began being utilized by surrounding and federal agencies. This is a simple process of sharing our intelligence and information with everyone so all have a chance to solve our cases [(now murders)]. The Tulsa Homicide Squad has a solve rate of 95 percent for 2016. That is a huge number. I attribute part of that to the philosophy of “share information and do not care who solves the case — just get it done.” Intelligence sharing is still evolving, and I am excited about the direction this is going in Tulsa’s law enforcement community
What is your biggest regret of your professional career?
The time wasted worrying about personal accomplishments could have been spent making the organization better. That regret is a blessing because I at least have seen the light, and the Tulsa Police Department is an evolving agency that I am proud to be a part.
Personal regret is I got promoted too soon and never got to be a K-9 officer. I love dogs, and I admire the way our dogs work with their officers. I do have Abner Doubleday, the best dog in the world at home, but he is not a cop.
Where do you think you would be today if you had not joined Sigma Phi Epsilon?
Joining SigEp forced me to work within the organization to obtain goals. The spirit of giving back was developed at Missouri Theta by the fundraisers for the American Cancer Society. I am not sure I would have chosen my career path without the SigEp influence. I would not have joined a police department that afforded me so many different experiences. All jobs are important, but police work is special. I can point to many things I was a apart of in the Fraternity that I use today: the ceremonies, the teamwork, the friends that I still reach out to today. I do not know where I would be, but I am better where I am because of SigEp.
In the bio I received, you mentioned you are getting ready to end your law enforcement career. What’s next?
I am looking at an approach that will help others and keep me from having to work at a job with a boss. I have Metours, a speaking endeavor, that is slowly getting off the ground. I love baseball and the aspects about it that if used correctly can change a community. I want to finish my career starting a baseball sandlot program in the most needed communities of Tulsa and work that into speaking across the country. It is a dream to teach [the game but also teach] life to a new generation. I see lost generations in my profession: the killed and the killers. I believe this can work and make a difference.
What drives you to work in law enforcement?
The experiences gained are so diverse; each day is different, and the freedom to get the job done is unprecedented. The satisfaction that comes with being handed what appears to be an insurmountable task, and with teamwork, long hours and a dedication not seen in other professions, the case is solved. I tell people, this late in game I do not need any more experiences, but as my wife tells me I crave the next one.
In these times of insecurity and uncertainty in your field, what pushes you to keep going?
I was prepared to retire in May 2017, but because of the uncertainty, I have to stay until it all settles down. I do not want to leave my friends when there is a need. I want to go when all is right or at least better than now. The insecurity and the unrest is what drives me to work everyday. It is not about me, but what I can do to help the community understand the events that have occurred. I talk to the media a lot and use that presence to get the police message across: We want to help and together, we can be a safer community.
Law enforcement has to change, and the cameras will make us better. I have found that with “The First 48” camera people here, we do not take shortcuts in our investigations and therefore they are more thorough. The same will occur when the beat cop has a camera with them — everything will be better.
Ron Ivy says
I wish that I had gone in to law enforcement as my father had. I let the every day things of being a father keep me from doing what I wanted to do with my life. When you want to do something do it now and don’t look back. I so wanted to work in criminal law and do it in Wichita, Kansas. None of these things have happened and now I am old and I know that no one would even consider me in their unit. I really admire Dave Walker and the things that he had done. I have met Dave and he is as advertised! Thank you very much Dave!