OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) — A citizen-led review process will move forward even after Oklahoma City Police say a former sergeant tied to a viral use of force case that injured an elderly man resigned.

News 4 was the first to report last week that Joseph Gibson resigned from the Oklahoma City Police Department per a department spokesperson and Fraternal Order of Police President Mark Nelson.

On October 27, 2024, 71-year-old Lich Vu and then-Oklahoma City Police Sgt. Joseph Gibson got into a verbal argument after Vu attempted to explain why he didn’t believe he deserved a ticket for allegedly making an improper U-turn. Vu is seen tapping Gibson’s vest with the back of his hand after telling him to shut up. Gibson is seen grabbing Vu’s arm before Vu is slammed to the ground.

Vu suffered a C1 fracture, an orbital fracture, and a brain bleed as a result of the incident. He also had to have surgery and his attorney, Devon Jacob, says he’s still in poor health.

"It just leaves a bad taste in everybody's mouth," said Jacob. "Because essentially it appears that he was permitted to resign in lieu of termination."

The department placed Gibson on administrative leave pending the outcome of internal criminal and administrative investigations that would determine potential charges or disciplinary actions.

Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond declined to pursue charges that Oklahoma County District Attorney Vicki Behenna filed against Gibson for aggravated assault, saying Gibson acted within the scope of his training.

Jacob is planning on filing a civil rights lawsuit on Vu's behalf by the end of April. Jacob said the lawsuit will name multiple defendants outside of Gibson, but has not indicated if the City of Oklahoma City will be named.

In January, News 4 employees attended a city council meeting where City Manager Craig Freeman outlined how the investigative process would play out. Freeman said the department’s Office of Professional Standards would conduct its own investigation and decide whether or not to make recommendations of discipline to Chief of Police Ron Bacy. Freeman said the incident would also be reviewed by the Public Safety Community Advisory Board.

While News 4 has not been able to obtain the results of the investigation, non-criminal forms of discipline for Gibson within the department are out the window due to his resignation. However, the Public Safety Community Advisory Board also leaves a chance for comments, suggestions and recommendations pertaining to the incident to still come up in the future.

"This board reviews closed cases," said Andrea Grayson, Implementation Manager for the OKC Public Safety Partnership.

News 4 requested interviews with Oklahoma City Chief of Police Ron Bacy and Craig Freeman last week to get clarification on a number of questions, including whether or not the case is closed.

"There needs to be more transparency," said Jacob.

News 4 is also seeking clarity on why police only shared six minutes of nearly 35 minutes of body worn camera and surveillance footage from the October incident. Lastly, News 4 is questioning whether training changes are needed since the police department's own experts noted in a December affidavit that the "amount of force Gibson used was not reasonable."

News 4 employees asked Grayson directly on Monday if the advisory board, made up of eight citizens from each of the city's wards and one citizen appointed by mayor David Holt, would still get to review the case.

"The case eventually will be reviewed," said Grayson.

Grayson couldn't say when the review will take place, and encouraged citizen engagement.

"We encourage residents to attend the open portion of the meetings that occur once a month," said Grayson. "That agenda is posted and it is public through the city clerk's office."

News 4 asked Grayson what she would say to citizens that feel like they've been left in the dark.

"It is important to remember that this board is comprised of residents of Oklahoma City, just like you and me," said Grayson. "That these residents do have the best interests of their friends and neighbors that reside in Oklahoma City, and they complete a really tough job of reviewing closed cases and making recommendations as they need to the Oklahoma City Police Department."

Grayson said the OKC Public Safety Partnership is also hosting a Ward 6 info session March 26 at Capitol Hill library from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. She says it's an opportunity for residents to learn more about the board, its complaint investigative process, how to file formal complaints and here about the work the board does. Grayson said the biggest public misconception she hears is that the board investigates cases. Grayson says the board only reviews closed cases.

The Neighborhood Council Budget Advocates delivered a letter to Los Angeles elected officials on Tuesday, March 25, urging them to avoid across-the-board cuts without considering their long-term impacts and offered recommendations to address a nearly $1 billion deficit at City Hall in the coming fiscal year.

Glenn Bailey and Jay Handal, co-chairs of the Neighborhood Council Budget Advocates, delivered the group’s annual White Paper, a report on the city’s spending and services, to Mayor Karen Bass and the Los Angeles City Council. They urged the city to evaluate the structure of city departments and to consolidate them if necessary, as well as to consider moving employees back into City Hall or offer work-from-home opportunities to reduce costs with leases.

“This is a pivotal moment in our city’s history,” the letter reads. “It is not a time for politics but for responsible financial stewardship. We must make tough but rational decisions.”

“This is also an opportunity to think about what kind of city we want in 10 years and structure the decisions accordingly,” the letter continued.

The budget advocates also noted that history has shown “indiscriminate reductions” — especially in revenue-generating departments — can result in unintended consequences. They warned against slashing critical administrative functions such as personnel, which could leave the city struggling to recover once economic conditions improve.

In the letter, the budget advocates provided the following recommendations:

— Update the four-year General Fund budget outlook to reflect anticipated raises for city employees;

— Develop a two-year budget;

— Conduct open and transparent labor negotiations that require significant outreach to Angelenos before, during and after the negotiations;

— Place a ballot measure that would prohibit the city from entering into any labor agreement that would create a current or future deficit, which in the short term could be implemented via an ordinance;

— Develop a long-term infrastructure plan;

— Create robust reserve fund that can only be used in declared emergencies and not to balance the budget (a current practice); and

— Establish an Office of Transparency and Accountability to oversee the city’s budget and finances in real time.

In its 116-page report, the budget advocates also provide a department-by-department list of potential cost-saving measures, which can be viewed at budgetadvocates.org/white-papers.

Under a system established in 1999, members of Neighborhood Councils are volunteers elected by residents of their respective communities. The councils advocate on issues such as homelessness, housing, land use and public safety.