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When journalists arrived in Mannford to investigate how city officials responded to their school resource officer being charged with raping a student, they expected bureaucratic deflection. They didn't expect the city manager to literally walk away from questions about his own police department.
Officer Matthew Waltman, who worked as a school resource officer, was arrested on rape charges involving a student in March 2024. But as reporters dug deeper, they discovered this wasn't Mannford's first scandal involving law enforcement.
The City Manager Who Wouldn't Lead
The city manager's interview started poorly and got worse. When asked about implementing reforms after the Waltman arrest, he claimed ignorance about his own department. When pressed about whether he conducts proper background checks, he said the officer "was working here before me."
Then came the pattern that defines Mannford's leadership: avoidance. Asked about his responsibility for what happens under his authority, the city manager began walking away mid-conversation. When reminded that fleeing "looks really bad," he kept walking.
The most telling exchange came when reporters asked if he'd implemented any changes to prevent future incidents. His response revealed everything wrong with Mannford's accountability structure: "I don't have anything to do with your police officer."
A History of Violence Among Officers
Mannford's law enforcement problems run deeper than one predatory officer. Just years earlier, a Mannford police chief was murdered by another Mannford officer in Florida. When asked about this officer-on-officer killing, the city manager's response was stunning: "Why would I get into stuff like that? I don't have anything to do with their personal lives."
Murder between fellow officers isn't a "personal life" issue. It's a leadership crisis that demands answers about department culture, hiring practices, and supervision.
Sheriff's Deputies Break Open Records Law
The investigation took another disturbing turn at the sheriff's department, where deputies illegally demanded ID for public records requests. Oklahoma's Open Records Act requires no identification for inspecting government documents during business hours.
Deputy badge number 228 insisted on ID despite the law's clear language. When the journalist politely declined, she refused all records access. The exchange revealed how law enforcement routinely violates citizens' rights, even when those rights are explicitly codified in state law.
Schools Admit No Safety Changes
Perhaps most shocking was Mannford Public Schools' admission that they'd implemented zero policy changes after their resource officer was charged with rape. The superintendent promised they were "reviewing everything" but couldn't name a single concrete reform.
Given weeks to prepare for a follow-up interview, school officials still had nothing. When pressed for one definitive step taken to protect students, the superintendent fell silent. When told this was "shameful," he didn't disagree.
The $400 Records Scam
City officials tried one final obstruction tactic: charging $400 for records that were requested electronically. When reporters refused to pay for digital documents they'd requested at no cost, city staff handed over a box anyway, then demanded payment they legally couldn't require.
This records shakedown represents everything wrong with Mannford's approach to transparency. They'll break their own rules and state law to avoid accountability, then act surprised when called out.
What Happens When No One Leads
The most disturbing revelation wasn't any single official's behavior, but the complete absence of leadership throughout Mannford's power structure. The city manager won't take responsibility for his police department. The school superintendent won't implement basic safety reforms. Deputies won't follow open records law.
What did these officials do when their failures endangered children? They walked away, demanded illegal fees, and admitted they'd changed nothing.
The full confrontations reveal just how deep Mannford's accountability crisis runs, and what happens when those sworn to protect become the threat.
