Norman Police Department updates department goals, values

Feb. 26—Norman's top cop recently took to social media to announce plans to update the police department's mission, vision and value statements in an attempt to better serve the community.

Chief Kevin Foster said the department's new mission is "passionately serving the community" through education, innovation and enforcement.

Foster said the police department has spent the past nine months reassessing its central purpose. In a video posted earlier this month on the department's social media page, the chief disclosed what the department is looking to accomplish in 2023.

The department, he said, is not overhauling existing guidelines but looking to progress.

Four values key to the department's central purpose are courage, compassion, collaboration with stakeholders and other agencies, and commitment to providing professional policing "in an ethical manner that brings pride and honor" to both the department and the Norman community.

"I believe those values encompass not just our old values, integrity, accountability, mutual respect, service, attitude and partnerships, but I think within the (new values), we've also encompassed the values of the city overall," Foster told The Transcript on Friday.

He said the updated statements and values are a result of natural development, because as society continuously changes, the department needs to adjust as well.

Foster said he wants to see all officers move in the same direction when it comes to internalizing department values in hopes of increasing compassionate and comprehensive policing.

According to the video, the department aims to reduce Part A crimes, which include robberies, assaults and sexual assaults among other offenses against people and property, by 2%.

Foster also said he wants to decrease incapacitating and fatality accidents by 5% by the end of the year.

Additionally, the department aims to increase its overall quality of service and determine a way to measure that quality by year's end, Foster said, adding that will likely mean sending out a community survey.

Foster estimated that Norman has between 70 and 100 incapacitating or fatality accidents annually, and said a 5% reduction was chosen because that's an achievable benchmark.

He noted Highway 9 as one of the more concerning high-accident areas, and said the department regularly get complaints about traffic, including speeders in certain neighborhoods.

"... Education and enforcement — that's the way we're going to reduce these," Foster said. "I want people to be happy with the service we provide. Nobody is going to be happy getting a ticket or getting arrested, but it's about the quality of service."

Kate Bierman, a former City Council member and mental health advocate who watched Foster's video presentation, said it concerns her that mental health wasn't mentioned in the department's updated mission.

"It's endlessly frustrating that after a consistent three-year community conversation about the specific role of our police department in Norman, none of the department goals for 2023 include improving community trust or addressing mental health," Bierman said.

While the video did not mention mental health, Foster told The Transcript the department is looking to operate differently in 2023 when responding to calls involving someone experiencing a mental health crisis.

In January, the police department started using iPads from the state health department as part of a pilot program to enhance responses to mental health calls.

Foster said mental health professionals are available to assist officers in making decisions when responding to such calls.

The guidance helps determine if a person needs to be referred for mental health services.

Also on the iPads is a button officers can push if they are feeling stressed to talk to a mental health professional.

"This is a huge step forward," Foster said.

Foster said the department is working with the state to create a system for transferring certain calls to the 988 system, a suicide and crisis hotline.

"I think this will help us out and help our customers out also," Foster said.

The Transcript reached out to Mayor Larry Heikkila for this story but he declined to comment.

Bierman said no matter what side of the political spectrum one is on, everyone wants to feel more confident in their police department, which includes Ward 5, an area she says doesn't get enough coverage.

"People on the east side want to see fewer targeted alcohol patrols and maybe spread it around a little bit more," Bierman said. "Everyone has needs and desires from the police department that don't include just reducing certain types of crimes by a certain percentage."

City Council member Rarchar Tortorello, who represents Ward 5, did not respond to a request for comment.

Council member Stephen Holman, who represents Ward 7, said he's pleased to see the department setting specific goals and making adjustments when it comes to how they operate and interact with the community.

"I will look forward to seeing how this new mission statement is implemented and how they plan to reach the goals by the end of the year, as (Foster) said in the video," Holman said.

Jeff Elkins covers business, living and community stories for The Transcript. Reach him at jelkins@normantranscript.com or at @JeffElkins12 on Twitter.