Community Outreach & Programs

The Oklahoma City Police Department has partnered with the Neighborhood Alliance to participate in “Coffee with a Cop.” This event is announced through social media and offers the opportunity for members of the community to have a cup of coffee with the police officers who work within that area of the community. The event is scheduled about once a month, and takes place in various locations throughout the city. The event not only creates an opportunity for the public to get to know the police officers in their area, but also allows them the opportunity to voice any concerns which they may have.

Town hall meetings and community forums are routinely scheduled throughout the year and include the police department and community members. Attendees are able to ask questions related to the police department, its policies and the enforcement of the law. Town hall meetings afford the police department the opportunity to openly engage with the community, and to share information through a constructive dialogue with the public. The Police Department has increased the number of town hall meetings within the Black community recently to expose more officers to minority concerns, as well as citizens to the challenges of policing minority neighborhoods.

During the holiday season the police department partners with local non-profitorganizations who provide funds to buy Christmas presents for underprivileged children from at-risk areas of Oklahoma City. The Shop with a Cop event allows police officers in uniform to pair up with kids to shop for Christmas presents for both them and their families. This annual event creates a mentoring opportunity for kids to engage the police officers who serve their community.

The Oklahoma City Police Department has a history of on-going and long-term relationships with various organizations and community stakeholders. These relationships are sustained by the Police Department’s willingness to engage community leaders and citizens through frequent community forums, neighborhood associations, academic institutions, churches, schools, civic groups, traditional media, social media, websites and e-mail correspondence to maintain open dialogue about important issues affecting the community. Some examples of organizations are Artists for Justice, Coalition to Advance Community Concerns, Oklahoma City Public Schools, NAACP, the Latino Community Development Agency (LCDA), Concerned Clergy Spiritual Renewal (CCSR), Black Lives Matter, Ending Violence Everywhere (EVE), YWCA Shelter, Homeless Alliance, Urban League, National Alliance on Mental Illness, Neighborhood Alliance, as well as a number of other institutions and individuals that may request the Police Department’s involvement in responding to citizens’ concerns. Through our on-going communication and involvement with organizations and individuals, the Oklahoma City Police Department is able to build relationships and stay informed of issues that are constantly evolving in a culturally diverse community.

Various news organizations, academic institutions and civic groups have recently requested the Chief of Police or staff to appear in public roundtable discussions to discuss social and crime related issues as well as current events. These discussions are usually recorded and displayed on internet and social media sites in order to share the topics and information with the public. Such events can spark constructive dialogue and information sharing. In 2015 -16, the police department has participated in an increased number of events related to police and minority relationships.

In 2015 the Oklahoma City Police Department joined efforts with the human rights organization Ending Violence Everywhere (E.V.E.) and various other law enforcement and community stakeholders in a series of open discussions specifically aimed at reviewing and assessing organizational policies and practices. The overall goal was to discuss the recommendations listed in the 21st Century Policing report and commit to the future development of the report’s recommendations. The organized discussions, which included the community forum in the spring of 2015 and an organization summit in early 2016, became known as Police and Community Trust (P.A.C.T.).

A good public school system is vital to the success of any community. The Oklahoma City Police Department has a strong partnership with the Oklahoma City Public School System (OKCPS). This partnership is important to maintain the safety of children and administrators within more than 70 schools in the OKCPS. The police department participates with school staff and parents through individual and community meetings to discuss school and community expectations within the educational system. This allows for police, school personnel, students and parents to be involved in decisions, allow for better understanding of the school environment, and identify potential problems and concerns.

Jamming Hoops Fest is a basketball tournament-style community outreach event hosted and coordinated by the Oklahoma City Police Department. The event is held on Thursday evenings through the summer months in northeast Oklahoma City. The goal of the program is to have youth from at-risk neighborhoods, off the streets and in a positive setting that allows mentoring by police officers and volunteers. About 250 kids participate every week and receive a “life lesson” by a guest speaker, dinner (hot dogs or burgers) and play tournament basketball where they win prizes for good sportsmanship and participation. The summer of 2017 was the eighth consecutive year for Jamming Hoops Fest.

The Police Community Relations (PCR) Unit of the Oklahoma City Police Department is made up of a group of specially trained officers whose focus is presenting information to neighborhood associations, businesses, churches, and other groups. Presentations can include information on safety, crime prevention, drug abuse, and numerous other topics. PCR officers can also provide you with information concerning how to set up a neighborhood association and neighborhood watch patrol. Each patrol division has a PCR officer. The contact information for each division's PCR officer is listed below. To find the patrol division in which you live or work, visit the patrol division page.

Hefner Patrol Division (Northwest OKC)
MSgt. Bob Skalla
robert.skalla@okc.gov
(405) 316-5035

Santa Fe Patrol Division (Southeast OKC)
Sgt. Brad Gilmore
robert.gilmore@okc.gov
(918) 883-3208

Springlake Patrol Division (Northeast OKC)
MSgt. Erick Huff
erick.huff@okc.gov
(405) 316-5138

Southwest Patrol Division (Southwest OKC)
Sgt. Michael Miller
michaelp.miller@okc.gov
(405) 316-4372

The Family Awareness and Community Teamwork (FACT) is a gang prevention program of the Oklahoma City Police Department that targets youth ages 14-17. The program is supported by the Leadership Foundation of Oklahoma, a 501(c)3 organization focused on equipping the community to make a difference in the lives of at-risk youth in Oklahoma City. The officers assigned to this Unit believe through early intervention we can help youth fight the pressure of gangs, and involvement in juvenile delinquency. The officers also mentor the youth for the purpose of instilling good character traits/life skills through positive learning opportunities.

Click here for FACT Video

FACT - Youth Outreach

Gang Interventions: FACT officers gather background information on youth referred to the program and set up a time and meeting place to address specific gang or delinquency concerns with the youth and his/her family. The goal is to offer positive options for change. Interventions often reveal real consequences to the youth and family that weren't previously known or recognized. Officers conduct these interventions in plain clothes in an attempt to quickly build rapport and trust with the youth and family, so the positive options that will be shared will be considered with an open mind and without fear the intervention is an actual criminal investigation.

Character Building (Movie Nights): An important goal of the FACT program is to instill good character traits and life skills lessons through positive learning opportunities. Character building/Movie nights are held weekly for those youth who have joined the program. The purpose of these weekly events is to expose the youth to a different perspective other than a lifestyle of gangs, delinquency and other negative community norms. The FACT Unit also provide presentations for community groups interested in gang awareness education.

The Oklahoma City Police Athletic League (PAL) was formed in 1991. PAL is a non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation, and operates out of the Police Community Relations Unit.

Join or Volunteer 

If you are interested in being a volunteer or participating in the PAL program, call (405) 297-1137.

The National Association of Police Athletic Leagues is recognized as the largest juvenile crime prevention program in the nation. PAL is dedicated to reducing crime by providing safe, healthy alternatives for children from high risk neighborhoods, by offering sports related activities both during school hours and after school. PAL is available for kids who attend Oklahoma City Public Schools. PAL relies on the continued support of concerned individuals and businesses from the Oklahoma City Metro Area who believe in the PAL mission, “Cops helping kids succeed.” 

Visit the Oklahoma City Police Athletic League Website for more information regarding PAL sports leagues, volunteering, and donations.

405-632-2240

Triad is an agreement between local law enforcement and older/retired persons to work together to reduce the criminal victimization of the elderly. Triad enhances the delivery of law enforcement services to our older citizens.

Contact Us: Sheryl Presley at (405) 316-4336

Triad educates citizens in crime prevention and victim/witness programs for older persons. Triad also recruits and trains volunteers to assist the police and sheriff's departments. Triad provides a forum for law enforcement and the community to share needs and concerns and work together to develop solutions and identify problem areas for seniors, and develop and implement community wide solutions.

The advisory group that carries out Triad activities goes by the acronym, SALT (Seniors and Law Enforcement Together). Members of most SALT groups include Police Chiefs, Sheriffs, RSVP, AARP, The Agency on Aging, retired leaders, home extension services, emergency response/medical representatives, and any other agencies or persons interested in the welfare of senior citizens.

A county may decide to have one county-wide SALT group, or each community may have its own, with periodic coordination among the individual councils.

Most SALT councils meet monthly. Most carry out activities through the efforts of active subcommittees (i.e., crime prevention education, publicity, special events, reassurance strategies, elder abuse prevention, etc.).

The coordinator for Oklahoma City's Triad program is Sheryl Presley. Sheryl can be reached at (405) 316-4336. She is available for speaking engagements on the topics of personal and home safety, current frauds and scams and identity theft.

For more information on Triad, contact your local law enforcement agency, your local office or agency on aging, RSVP, AARP or Triad's national headquarters at 1450 Duke St., Alexandria, VA 22314.

It is the goal of the Oklahoma City Police Department Youth Enrichment Services (YES) Unit to enrich the lives of the youth by streamlining the immediate resources children need in troubled times and build lasting relationships with the community they serve. We strive to find the root causes of truancy and help facilitate resources, which are often immediate needs, to eradicate the truancy. The YES Unit will work closely with the Oklahoma City Public School counselors, registrars, nurses, and the attendance advocacy office and will follow up on Handle with Care referrals to identify students.

The YES Unit's mission is to provide basic life necessities to families in need. The goal is to reduce truancy by giving families the best opportunity to keep their kids in school to ensure a good education. This program promotes and improves police community relations by having the officer be actively involved in providing services offered by the community in which it serves.

We will commit ourselves to excellence and discharge our responsibilities professionally and courteously while making maximum utilization of available resources.

The Oklahoma City Police Department’s School Resource Officer (SRO) Unit provides 25 full-time Oklahoma City police officers, sergeants and lieutenants to the Oklahoma City Public Schools (OKCPS) system in order to protect our city’s schools, students and staff. Our officers help guard all of OKCPS’s high schools, middle schools and elementary schools.

Partnering with OKCPS in this way allows us to serve three missions:

Protect

We PROTECT Oklahoma City schools. Our School Resource Officers (or “SROs”) are full-time, fully equipped and armed uniformed Oklahoma City Police officers. Every day they patrol our schools, and ensure the schools are safe, protected and secure against any man-made or natural threats that may arise.

Mentor 

We MENTOR Oklahoma City schoolchildren. By having actual uniformed police officers in the schools, students can come to know police officers as real people, and not just see them as stereotypes or strangers. Throughout the school years, our SROs form strong relationships with the students they protect, and are a source of mentoring, counseling and encouragement.

Action

 We TAKE POLICE ACTION when the need arises. Even in the best schools, students sometimes make bad choices and crimes are committed. When this happens, our SROs consult with the staff, the student and the student’s parents in order to determine the best course of action. When serious crimes occur, SROs are sometimes forced to cite or arrest students or unruly visitors, but always only as a last resort.

The Oklahoma City Police Bilingual Unit was formed in 2003, with the purpose of assisting the police department to perform its mission and deliver its services in situations where languages other than spoken English are used. The Bilingual Unit is comprised of police officers from various units within the department who are proficient in Spanish, Vietnamese, or Sign Language.

The Bilingual Unit assists the department in accomplishing its mission by providing trained interpreters to assist in routine calls and investigations. Members of the Bilingual Unit maintain positive contact and relationships with various communities and individuals who speak languages other than spoken English, and by performing linguistic and cultural training.

Officers who pass a proficiency test and become members of this unit receive incentive pay of up to $100 per pay-period, depending on their level of proficiency. 

The Oklahoma City Police Department also uses the Language Line service to communicate via phone with certified interpreters who can communicate in various other languages.

Bilingual Unit Commanders

Major Beto Balderrama

juan.balderrama2@okc.gov

(405) 316-5221

Major Taylor Dinh

taylor.dinh@okc.gov

(405) 316-5085

Bilingual Unit Coordinator

Sgt. Jake Jones

jacob.jones@okc.gov 

(405) 297-1173

The purpose of the Homeless Outreach Team (HOT) is to ensure OKCPD remains sensitive to the unique needs of the homeless population while responding to the concerns of the greater community. HOT works with homeless individuals linking them with valuable social services to improve their living conditions thereby improving public safety.  

Our mission is to impact the homeless community through positive police contact and community partnerships with the ultimate purpose of altering the homeless person’s perspective on life, and potential for getting needed services and assistance. The Homeless Outreach Team serves the community by coordinating efforts between law enforcement, local, state and private agencies that provide services to at risk homeless in the City who are living on the streets and considered Chronically Homeless. 

The Homeless Outreach Team is comprised of two officers/sergeants and one lieutenant. The unit typically works Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. but they periodically vary their schedule to address needs at specific times.

If you are reporting a police or public safety emergency, dial 9-1-1. 

To notify the Homeless Outreach Team of individuals needing assistance, please contact the OKC Action Center. 

• Phone: (405) 297-2535. Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. and 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
• Online: okc.gov/action
• Email: action.center@okc.gov
• City’s mobile app: OKC Connect
• Text: (405) 252-1053

The OKCPD Cadet Program focuses on mentoring inner-city youths from the Oklahoma City Public School System (OKCPS) who aspire to have a career in law enforcement. Our police department has partnered with Metro Technology Center, Francis Tuttle Technology Center, and OKCPS to identify young adults interested in pursuing a career in law enforcement. The students receive valuable training through Metro Tech and Francis Tuttle Law Enforcement Programs, from technical school instructors, as well as Oklahoma City Police Department instructors/mentors. These programs provide two years of instruction to High School Juniors and Seniors. After completing this two-year program, cadets will acquire various law enforcement related certifications, including their unarmed security certification, which will help them in their future careers. Graduating high school cadets may become eligible to apply for the OKCPD Cadet Program. You must be between the ages of 18-22 years of age to take part in the Oklahoma City Police Department Cadet Program.

Upon acceptance into the Oklahoma City Police Department Cadet Program, Police Cadets will receive guidance, mentoring and support from their police officer mentors. Potential cadets must complete an application packet, pass a background check, and interview with an oral board before being accepted into the program.

Continued education through local colleges is encouraged for the Police Department Cadets. For those students who have a financial need for employment, program partners can provide employment in various service-oriented positions.

Police Department Cadets must also conduct a minimum number of monthly community service hours and training. Community service hours consist of various community events and functions where Cadets will represent the program, our police department, and our city. Cadets will receive training and mentoring through this program that will help them with making good life choices, will educate them on the police department application process, and with requirements and expectations of the police academy. Cadets who wish to apply for the Oklahoma City Police Department can begin the application process at 20 ½ years of age.  

Through training, mentoring, education, and employment assistance, it is our hope that we will positively influence our youth towards a career in public service.