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Lets Talk about Public Safety
- Aug 1
- 2 min read
During the recent local election cycle, public safety was a topic that came up frequently, either directly or indirectly. The City of Norman released public safety studies that identified long term and critical needs of both departments in early 2025 and if you want to read the public safety reports, they can be read at https://www.normanok.gov/PublicSafetyStudy25. The reports cover all aspects of each departments, but I'll just quickly cover the parts that speak to concerns I head while door knocking and since I have been elected.
When it comes to the police department, the report shows that the critical positions that need to be filled are support roles, such as dispatchers. The report basically states that as Norman grows, its not so much that personal size needs to grow at the same rate, but positions and processes need to be put in place that help the overall efficiency of the police department.
When it comes to the Norman Fire Department, the needs are much more urgent in my opinion. To put it plainly, the fire department has not kept up with the growth of Norman. With the transfer of the hospital from Porter to West Tecumseh (something that needs to be talked about separately), those in Ward 6 facing medical emergencies can no longer be at the hospital in 5-10 minutes. The result is they might call 911 to get medical services to them in a few minutes, and when making a medical emergency call often it is the fire department that shows up first, along with emstat. The report identifies multiple fire stations needed in East Norman, as well as administrative positions needed within the fire department. Two fire stations that I feel are critical are Firestation 10 and Firestation 11, with Firestation 11 planning on directly servicing the Ward 6 area.
My hope is that by getting Firestation 11 built and staffed, while it won't replace the hospital, it will help plug the gap in medical accessibility that is a concern for many in Ward 6. By doing so response times to Ward 6 residents will be noticeably lowered and can service East Norman as it continues to grow.
Since Public Safety continues to come up frequently, during my time as the Ward 6 Councilmember I plan on doing a set of ride-alongs about once every four months with both the police and fire departments. Doing so will help underscore the reality of decisions that are being made at the local level when it comes to Public Safety, and as with any important topic, I believe you should view it first hand, if able. As always, if anyone in Ward 6 wishes to discuss Public Safety concerns, or any concerns for that matter, my job is to listen and advocate for our Ward, so please don’t hesitate to reach out to me.