The recent incident involving the Minneapolis Police Department that resulted in the tragic death of Mr. George Floyd is both sickening and disturbing. We condemn the actions of these officers, as they are not consistent with the Norman Police Department’s values specifically a shared respect for individual rights and human dignity.
While our officers receive annual training relating to proper use of force, de-escalation, and critical decision-making, I am committed to the continual review of our training methods and curriculums. De-escalation methods permeate through all department training. Norman officers also receive basic academy training and continued education in areas such as Racial Intelligence Training and Education (RITE) as well as trainings relating to cultural sensitivity, implicit bias, bias based calls for service response, and ethical policing.
We also continue to uphold our commitment to transparency through our use of body cameras and the voluntary release of use of force and complaint information and data through our Open Data Portal. I encourage open dialogue with community members and partners as we aim to work together on furthering joint problem solving, accountability, enhanced understanding, and innovation in our policing efforts.
Police officers are charged with protection of life in a manner that is legal, ethical, empathetic and fair. I commit to continuing proactive engagement with our community to maintain and strengthen trust while also establishing a clear understanding that such actions are unacceptable.