Oklahoma County sheriff, local police align on school safety

The Oklahoma County Sheriff's Office on Tuesday announced a multi-agency partnership to increase safety for schools in eastern parts of the county.

Those working with the sheriff's office include the police departments in Choctaw, Nicoma Park, Harrah, Spencer, Luther and Jones.

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"We all serve the same community, maybe different agencies, different patches on their shoulder, but the same mission," Oklahoma County Sheriff Tommie Johnson III said.

The plan is structured in three parts: familiarizing law enforcement with schools for better responses to possible threats, increasing patrols around schools and improving safety for students on bus routes.

Tuesday morning, law enforcement teams had been onsite at Choctaw High School for a tour. The plan is for agencies to be cross-trained on one another's school layouts, said Aaron Brilbeck, Oklahoma County Sheriff's Office public information officer.

Multiple officers and deputies, including members of the tactical team and bomb squad, are already working to familiarize themselves with school layouts in the participating towns.

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"The opportunity to walk through our buildings, have local law enforcement there and present, provided us with a sense of safety that we really believe in," said Michael James, assistant superintendent of personnel for the Choctaw-Nicoma Park School District.

James said the opportunity to have multiple agencies on site was one the district hadn't had before. He said Choctaw and Nicoma Park officers typically have focused on the schools within their own jurisdictions.

"It makes sense that we all are familiar with our schools in case of an emergency, any type of emergency," Choctaw Chief of Police Kelly Marshall said. "We're committed to our schools being a sanctuary for our children. We want our schools' administrators, we want our teachers, our children and parents to have confidence that we are going to take care of them."

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Brilbeck said the sheriff's office learned a lot from the recent shooting in Uvalde, Texas, and should a need for a police response arise, all of the departments want to be in sync. He said the involved agencies also want students, teachers and staff to get to know and trust the officers and deputies who serve them.

Johnson reiterated the need for agencies to be "on the same page" before an emergency happens.

"When seconds matter, we cannot be off beat; we have to all march to the tune of the same drum," he said.

He said students, parents and teachers seeing law enforcement on campuses will lead to "positive interactions and a lot of good conversation," including an opportunity for officers to gain valuable information from teachers and school staff. He encouraged the community to reach out to his office with questions, saying he will gladly share his plan with parents and teachers who have concerns.

Officers plan to control speeding, monitor school zones and bus routes

In addition to work to prepare agencies to handle events within the schools, the sheriff and local police chiefs are also working to bolster safety on the roads surrounding schools and along bus routes.

Johnson said people can expect an increased presence from law enforcement to control speeding, a problem he said grew inexplicably during the COVID-19 pandemic and continues to worsen.

Brilbeck said the goal of the department is not to write tickets, but to keep people safe, especially students traveling to and from school.

Law enforcement will not only be monitoring speeds around school zones, but it will be adamant about people who disregard school bus stop signs, Johnson said.

"I offer a lot of discretion in the community, especially when it comes to enforcement action, but the one thing that I will not offer discretion on is when you have a school bus with the school sign out that says stop. These kiddos are trying to go across walkways to get on the bus and you have cars going around," Johnson said. "My deputies will pull you over and they will cite you. Full stop. "

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OK County sheriff, local police seek unified school safety approach