The Norman Police Department (NPD), in partnership with the Knee Institute and University Of Oklahoma School of Social Work, continues to work toward equity and positive policing with all citizens in its ongoing research analysis and consultation partnership. Extensive evaluation is underway to assess currently available data for the investigation of how police interactions may differentially impact different members of the community, and what empirically applied solutions can be incorporated to address these issues in contextually appropriate ways.
NPD acknowledges the available raw data may indicate a disparate impact, per capita, in use of force incidents, and this partnership is working to further evaluate that data to understand how, where, and under what contexts these phenomenon exist. We are committed to addressing this and enacting changes in ways that protect and serve our entire city with equity. We are working to evolve our responses and policing strategies to actively facilitate enhanced levels of safety for every member of our community.
As research analysis has continued, the Knee Institute has also collaborated with the OU Data Institute for Societal Challenges and professors from across the campus. Together the research group is working to assess use of force data and create tools, reports, and recommendations that can assist in understanding the concepts with deeper complexity in order to move the goals of the project forward. We expect not only a more thorough understanding of the data, but also look forward to guidance on how to implement what we learn from this investigation into realistic, community-driven policing strategies.
Due to the low number of use of force incidents, we are also have the capability to incorporate the Norman Citizens Advisory Board (NCAB) to help us review data. This process is providing community perspectives on potential policy failures, employee wrongdoing, and or training needs. This review process complements the continued analysis and research by our OU partners in developing long-term solutions to the complex sociological issues that can ultimately manifest in policing disparities.
In service to our community, the Norman Police Department is woking to provide leadership in advancing equity in our society and recognizes the importance of community partnership and collaborative perspectives. Additional updates and partnership outcomes will be released publicly as they become available.