By Fox23.com News Staff
TULSA, Okla. — Two City of Tulsa employees received the Michael P. Kier Tulsa Blue Award for their compassionate actions that helped a missing teenager find safety.
In Oct. 2025, City of Tulsa parking inspectors William Carnley and Ryan Reilly were taking their lunch break when they noticed a teenage boy walking around downtown Tulsa.
Sensing that something might be wrong, the men chose to approach the boy and asked him if he was okay.
“Showing heightened awareness and a deep sense of responsibility, they chose to approach this young boy to see what was going on,” said Tulsa Mayor Monroe Nichols. “After speaking with him, they discovered that he was not just a boy walking in downtown Tulsa, he was in fact a missing child from Norman, Oklahoma who had been missing for two weeks. Their calm approach and swift coordination with local outreach partners and law enforcement led to the missing youth receiving the assistance he needed and the safety he deserved.”
Mayor Nichols said the men’s actions are an example of the type of city Tulsa is aiming to be.
“When it comes down to it, this moment also speaks to something bigger. One of our goals in Tulsa is to make it the safest big city in America and that can sound like a big and abstract promise, but it’s not something achieved by just one department alone or even two, not just our traditional public safety departments. It is a way in which we work here and it is the watchful eyes of City employees knowing something is not right in our city and being willing to address it and because of the actions of Will and Ryan, there’s a young man from Norman, Oklahoma who is alive and well today. So, as every day, as proud as I am of every City employee, it is a special sense of pride that I have today in being here with Will and Ryan and being able to present them with their Tulsa Blue Awards for their extraordinary service to the City of Tulsa.”
The Tulsa Blue Award program recognizes City of Tulsa employees who go above and beyond their duties to help the citizens of Tulsa.
Residents are encouraged to nominate any City employee they believe is deserving of the award. To do so, you can fill out the online nomination form here.
