OKCPD Leader Gourley on new helicopter, psychological well being reaction

TIME NOW IS 911. JUST ABOUT 912 HERE. SO KEEPING YOU INFORMED, THE OKLAHOMA CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT AND THEY WORK TO KEEP YOU ALL SAFE. THAT’S ONE OF THE GOALS OF OUR MONTHLY DOWNS WITH POLICE CHIEF WADE GURLEY TODAY. ONCE AGAIN, WE HAVE THE CHIEF WITH HERE. CHIEF GURLEY, WELCOME IN. THANKS. THANKS FOR HAVING ME. ALWAYS GOOD TO SEE YOU. I WANT TO START FIRST WITH SOME NEW TO COME OUT OF THE MOST RECENT CITY COUNCIL MEETING. THE NEW HELICOPTER JUST APPROVED BY THE OKLAHOMA CITY COUNCIL EXPECTED TO COST AROUND 3.7 MILLION COMING FROM A TAX FUND. I GUESS MY FIRST QUESTION FOR YOU IS WHY, DO YOU FEEL LIKE THIS IS NEEDED FOR YOU ALL TO DO WHAT YOU DO? ABOUT A YEAR AGO, WE STARTED WORKING WITH THE DEPARTMENT AND EXPANDING OUR MISSIONS AND HELPING THEM WITH WATER DROPS ON FIRES THAT OCCUR IN MORE RURAL AREAS. WE’VE BEEN SEEING A LOT MORE OF THOSE. THOSE TYPE OF FIRES OCCURRING AND ESPECIALLY THOSE WILDFIRES THAT GET STARTED IN THE QUICKER CAN GET ON THOSE AND GET WATER ON THEM A LOT OF TIMES KEEPS THEM FROM SPREADING. SO WE WORKED WITH THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, GOT OUR PILOTS TRAINED, AND THEN WE REALIZED WITH THOSE EXPANDING MISSIONS, KEEPING AIRCRAFT IN THE AIR, IT’S GOING TO BE A LITTLE BIT MORE DIFFICULT BECAUSE OF MAINTENANCE AND OTHER THINGS LIKE THAT. SO WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE ENOUGH AIRCRAFT AND ENOUGH PILOTS THAT WE CAN RESPOND TO NOT ONLY FIRE MISSIONS, BUT POLICE MISSIONS AS WELL. SO THAT’S THE IDEA BEHIND THE THIRD AIRCRAFT. good enough SO THAT’LL BE THAT WAS MY NEXT QUESTION. SO THAT’LL BE THE THIRD ADDITION TO THE FLEET THEN. THAT’S OKAY. AND THEN LOOKING DOWN THE LINE HERE, IN TERMS OF OTHER MAYBE BIG THINGS THAT YOU GUYS NEED OR ANY TECHNOLOGICAL ANYTHING THAT YOU’RE LOOKING AT THAT YOU MAY NEED COMING DOWN THE LINE HERE. PROBABLY THE BIGGEST THING WE’RE LOOKING AT RIGHT NOW, IS GETTING OUR REAL TIME CRIME CENTER UP AND RUNNING. AND WE’RE GOING TO PROBABLY HAVE THAT GOING WITHIN THE NEXT FEW MONTHS. WE’RE STARTING OUT PRETTY BASIC WITH THAT. BUT THERE’S SOME, YOU KNOW, FUNDING AND THINGS THAT WILL COME WITH AS WE EXPAND THAT. WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT CAMERAS PLACED AROUND THE CITY TO HELP IDENTIFY CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR AND RESPOND TO CALLS. AND SO WE’RE GOING TO BE LOOKING AT THAT AND EVERYTHING WE’RE LOOKING AT WITH TECHNOLOGY, HOW DO WE RESPOND, THE GROWING DEMANDS ON THE POLICE DEPARTMENT AND TRYING TO DO MORE WITH LESS. AND SO IF WE CAN, YOU KNOW, PUT A OR AN ANALYST TO CHECK OUT A SITUATION BEFORE AN OFFICER HAS ROLL OUT THERE, IT HELPS US, YOU KNOW, USE OUR RESOURCES A LITTLE BIT BETTER. I WANT TO SWITCH NOW TO THE INVESTIGATION BY THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE. I KNOW YOU CANNOT SPECIFICALLY ON ANY PENDING INVESTIGATIONS, BUT THIS INVESTIGATION DEALS WITH THE OKLAHOMA CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT AND OTHERS RESPONSES TO THOSE IN A MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS. SO I JUST WANT TO ASK YOU TO GIVE YOU THE CHANCE HERE TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE CURRENT PROCEDURES IN PLACE FROM THE DEPARTMENT. WHAT WE DO WHEN SOMEONE HAVING A MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS AND HOW YOUR OFFICERS RESPOND. SO WE’VE BEEN WORKING FOR WELL OVER THREE YEARS TO TRY AND DO EVERYTHING WE CAN GET OUT OF THE BUSINESS OF BEING THE PRIMARY RESPONSE TO MENTAL HEALTH. THIS STARTED FOR US. I WAS AT MAJOR CITY CHIEFS MEETING WHEN I WAS A DEPUTY CHIEF AND THEY DID A PRESENTATION THERE ON A PARTNERSHIP THAT WHAT AGENCY WAS DOING WITH SOCIAL WORKERS IN THE. AND SO IMMEDIATELY AND ABOUT THE TIMING OF IT WAS ABOUT THE TIME I BECAME CHIEF WHEN I GOT BACK FROM THAT MAJOR CITY’S MEETING AND I MET WITH DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES DIRECTOR AND OF THEIR STAFF AND WE STARTED A PROGRAM TO NOT ONLY HAVE OUR OFFICERS, IF THEY ROLL INTO A SITUATION WHERE SOMEONE MIGHT NEED SOME EXTRA SERVICES OR HELP, THAT THE OFFICERS WOULD TAKE THAT OVER AND CREATE A REFERRAL. AND THEN WE HAD MONTHLY MEETINGS TO HELP EXPAND THAT AND MAKE SURE THAT THOSE FOLKS GET THE NEEDS THAT THEIR NEEDS WERE MET BECAUSE THEY WERE NOT POLICE NEEDS. WE ALSO PARTNERED WITH NORTH KOREA AND. WE’VE BEEN WORKING WITH THEM ON A PROGRAM CALLED CHAMPION TO WHERE THEY’RE HIRING MENTAL WORKERS TO RESPOND AS ALTERNATIVE TO POLICE AND THEN ALSO TO 988 ROLLING THAT OUT. WE MEET WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF MENTAL HEALTH MONTHLY. WE TALK ABOUT WAYS WE CAN IMPROVE THAT AND OUR DISPATCHERS ARE NOW ABLE TO HAND OFF A LOT OF THE ONE CALLS THAT WE GET THAT ARE SPECIFICALLY FOR MENTAL HEALTH THAT DON’T REQUIRE A POLICE RESPONSE. AND THEN, OF COURSE, PEOPLE CAN CALL NINE, EIGHT, EIGHT AS WELL. SO THERE’S A LOT OF THINGS THAT I’M POSITIVE THAT ARE OCCURRING RECENTLY. AND MY HOPE IS THAT WHEN DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE DOES WANT TO COME IN AND LOOK AT THAT, THAT THEY’LL SEE THAT THAT’S WHAT’S OCCURRING AND NOT BASE US OFF THINGS THAT WERE THREE, FOUR OR FIVE YEARS AGO. YOU MENTIONED NINE, EIGHT. WELL I HAVE YOU HERE. WHY DON’T YOU TELL OUR VIEWERS JUST IN CASE, DON’T KNOW WHAT EXACTLY THAT IS. WHAT, NINE, EIGHT, EIGHT IS FOR. SO NINE, EIGHT, EIGHT IS A NATIONAL NUMBER THAT WAS ACTUALLY IT’S BEEN ROLLED OUT ACROSS THE COUNTRY SOME TIME. IT’S A LITTLE BIT NEWER, OKLAHOMA. BUT IF YOU HAVE SOMEONE THAT, FOR EXAMPLE, IN YOUR HOME THAT IS HAVING A MENTAL CRISIS OR A BREAKDOWN ON OR MAYBE THEY’RE OFF THEIR MEDICATION AND THEY JUST NEED TO TALK TO A PHYSICIAN OR TRY AND GET SOME SOME MORE A MEDICAL TYPE HELP RATHER THAN LAW ENFORCEMENT HELP. YOU CAN CALL NINE, EIGHT, EIGHT AND THEY CAN EITHER PROVIDE AN ALTERNATIVE RESPONSE, THEY CAN PUT YOU IN CONTACT OVER A VIDEO SCREEN WITH A DOCTOR. THERE’S A OF THINGS THAT THEY CAN DO THAT YOU DON’T HAVE A UNIFORMED POLICE OFFICER STANDING IN YOUR LIVING ROOM TRYING TO FIGURE OUT, YOU KNOW, WHAT’S THE BEST PRACTICE HERE AND HOW DO YOU HANDLE THAT? THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF MENTAL HEALTH ALSO ESTABLISHED THROUGH A PRIVATE COMPANY, A DISPATCH CENTER. SO THOSE CALLS ARE HANDLED WITHIN THE STATE. THEY HAVE A LOT OF RESOURCES AVAILABLE TO IT, TO THEM. AND IF IT IF, FOR EXAMPLE, SOME REASON THAT CALLED TO NINE, EIGHT, EIGHT DOES REQUIRE POLICE RESPONSE IN, NINE, EIGHT, EIGHT CAN HAND THE CALL OFF TO US. OKAY SO THERE’S KIND OF A JOINT RESPONSE THERE AND PEOPLE WHO ANSWER THE PHONES AT NINE EIGHT SPECIFICALLY TRAIN TO DEAL WITH ALL TYPES OF SITUATIONS. AND SWITCHING GEARS HERE, BECAUSE IT’S THE HOLIDAY SEASON. SO WE HAVE TO TALK ABOUT, UNFORTUNATELY, PORCH. IT HAPPENS EVERY SINGLE YEAR. SINCE WE WON’T SEE YOU TILL THE NEW YEAR. WHAT CAN PEOPLE DO TO PROTECT THOSE PACKAGES THAT ARE COMING? THE BIGGEST THING, THE TECHNOLOGY TODAY YOU KNOW IS INCREDIBLE WITH I GET THE ALERTS WHEN I ORDER SOMETHING. PACKAGES COME IN AT THIS TIME AND AND SO IF YOU HAVE SOMETHING OF VALUE THAT YOU DON’T WANT SITTING OUT ON YOUR PORCH, I ALWAYS, YOU KNOW, WORK WITH YOUR NEIGHBORS, SOMEONE CAN PICK THAT UP, RESCHEDULE THAT DELIVERY OR TRY TO HAVE SOMEONE THERE WHEN YOU WHEN YOU GET IT. I LOVE THE RING DOORBELLS. I HAVE ONE OF THOSE OR ANY TYPE OF VIDEO DOORBELL THAT NEEDS TO BE A PARTICULAR. BUT BUT THAT TOO CAN ALERT YOU IF SOMEONE’S ON YOUR PORCH AND IT ALSO CAPTURES THAT VIDEO. THE GOOD THING ABOUT THAT IN MOST OF THESE DEVICES THE VIDEO STORED IN THE CLOUD. SO EVEN IF THEY DESTROY YOUR CAMERA, YOU STILL HAVE THAT VIDEO. AND WE USE THAT VIDEO QUITE FREQUENTLY THROUGH STOPPERS AND OTHER MEANS THAT WE HAVE TO HELP SOLVE THOSE CRIMES. I WAS GOING TO SAY SO, IF YOU ARE THE VICTIM OF A PORCH PIRATE AND YOU HAVE THAT RING VIDEO, CAN THEY CALL THE DEPARTMENT AND SEE IF MAYBE YOU ALL CAN WORK TOGETHER, TRACK THAT PERSON DOWN? ABSOLUTELY. WHAT WE SEE A LOT OF TIMES IS, IS THEY THEIR NEIGHBORS OR THEY GET ON THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD APPS AND OTHER THINGS AND ALERT THEIR NEIGHBORS, BUT THEY OFTENTIMES DON’T CALL THE POLICE. AND SO WE REALLY ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO CALL BECAUSE NORMALLY, IF THIS PERSON HAS COMMITTED THE CRIME ON YOUR PORCH, PROBABLY COMMITTED SEVERAL OTHERS TO VERY SMART. SO DON’T BE AFRAID IF SOMETHING IS STOLEN, PLEASE CALL OUR POLICE DEPARTMENT. THEY’RE HERE TO HELP. A TOUGH CALL. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR COMING ON TODAY. WE ALWAYS APPRECIATE THESE MONTHLY CHATS, GETTING EVERYONE CAUGHT UP. SO WE REALLY APPRECIATE TIME. WELL, THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.

OKCPD Leader Gourley on new helicopter, psychological well being reaction

Helicopter authorized at Tuesday town council assembly

Up to date: 10:41 AM CST Dec 8, 2022

We sat down with Oklahoma Town Police Leader Wade Gourley to be told a couple of new helicopter authorized for the dep. and the way the dep. responds to psychological well being calls. Click on the video participant above to observe the entire interview.

OKLAHOMA CITY —

We sat down with Oklahoma Town Police Leader Wade Gourley to be told a couple of new helicopter authorized for the dep. and the way the dep. responds to psychological well being calls.

Click on the video participant above to observe the entire interview.