OKC reports major milestones in Public Safety Partnership

Published on October 13, 2026

Oklahoma City leaders marked three years of progress for the OKC Public Safety Partnership with a special presentation today to City Council, providing implementation updates and program accomplishments.

“We’ve seen tremendous progress with the formation of advisory groups, implementation of new policies, youth-focused programs and committees, alternative and crisis response efforts and public education,” City Manager Craig Freeman said. “Working together, the Public Safety Partnership turned the roadmap provided by the 39 recommendations into measurable actions that are now programs and resources residents can use today.”

Formed in August 2023, the Public Safety Partnership is a collaboration among community stakeholders, city leaders, OKCPD, OKCFD and residents working to implement 39 recommendations contained in a report presented to City Council in March 2022. The recommendations focus on enhancing and refining law enforcement de-escalation policies, alternative response to mental health calls, youth outreach, community violence interruption and community engagement.

To date, 35 recommendations have started, 23 have been fully implemented, evaluation programs have begun for 11 implemented recommendations, and three additional recommendations are on track to begin later in 2026.

The OKC Public Safety Partnership builds on work that began in 2020 with the creation of the Law Enforcement Policy Task Force and the Community Policing Working Group.

“City leadership had the foresight to recognize that public safety in Oklahoma City needed to evolve to meet the changing needs of residents,” Joanne Davis, Law Enforcement Policy Task Force member, said. "In my role on the task force, I experienced an intentional selection of people from all parts of the community to help bring about solutions. The OKC Public Safety Partnership’s work has this same intentionality, making sure voices throughout the community are heard. You can see the results of this collaboration in the impact the OKC Public Safety Partnership has had in the community within this three-year time frame.”

Key accomplishments of the OKC Public Safety Partnership include:

Updating or revising law enforcement policies around de-escalation and use of force.
Creating the Community Public Safety Advisory Board as a permanent, independent committee that reviews the complaint investigative process and reviews results from completed investigations involving Oklahoma City Public Safety Officers.
Increasing the number of Crisis Intervention Team OKCPD officers from 150 to 200.
Developing an alternative response to mental health calls with the formation of the Crisis Intervention Advisory Group in 2024 and the launch of Mobile Integrated Healthcare in 2025.
Implementing an online Awareness Notification Form, which enables residents to inform police about people with medical or behavioral health conditions that could influence emergency response at a location.
Focusing on law enforcement youth outreach by strengthening the OKCPD Youth Engagement Council and the OKCPD Youth Police Academy, as well as updating the School Resource Officer contract with Oklahoma City Public Schools to include engagement guidelines that provide clarity on responsibilities.
Forming the Youth Safety Advisory Committee to better understand the root cause of youth violence and explore ways to provide support to at-risk youth in Oklahoma City.
Providing access to mental health services for OKCPD employees.

“The momentum and progress made through the OKC Public Safety Partnership shows our City’s ongoing commitment to provide a modern approach to public safety for our residents and our public safety officers,” Assistant City Manager Jason Ferbrache said. “The OKC Public Safety Partnership matters because our residents expect the best in public safety service delivery, and we keep that in the forefront of the continued work to evaluate the implemented programs and implement additional recommendations.”

Learn more about the OKC Public Safety Partnership and follow the progress of the recommendations at okc.gov/psp. The OKC Public Safety Partnership video presented at City Council can be viewed on the City’s YouTube page here.

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