MASS EXODUS: More Norman Police Officers to Resign or Retire by Month’s End
- 7 Officers Plan to Depart by End of July (in two weeks)
- Resignations Come as 9 Officers’ Positions Are Already Scheduled to Be Cut
- PLUS: 7 More Officers Consider Leaving, Have Begun Interviewing & Testing at Other Cities
- Total of 25 Departures Would Be Nearly Three Times the Annual Average Turnover Rate
Norman, OK (July 15th) — Seven Norman police officers are reportedly on their way out the door in two weeks, with seven more considering following, thanks to the recent Defunding of Police pushed by Mayor Breea Clark and the Norman City Council.
Reports of officers deciding to resign or retire come today as nine positions are already on the chopping block via the Mayor’s proposal. Officers preparing to depart were reported last week by KFOR TV. However, more departures have been confirmed today by the Fraternal Order of Police.
The total of now 25 officers’ positions would be nearly three times more than the annual average of departures. Norman police department reports that it usually has only about 10 departures per year normally.
“This is a real-life public safety concern for the entire community of Norman,” said Russell Smith, founder of Unite Norman, the organization whose goal is to recall the radical Mayor and the most radical members of the City Council. “As predicted, the reverberations of the Mayor’s and the City Council’s efforts to Defund the Police are already having a detrimental effect. This is the beginning of a mass exodus of frontline first responders who feel they are no longer backed by the city they serve. We must unite Norman around the support of critical frontline officers, or face the peril that more departures will bring.”
Fewer officers and defunding will likely mean longer response times for families, homeowners, and business owners in Norman, as well as less training for officers in the field.
For more information about Unite Norman, visit UniteNorman.com.
from MuskogeePolitico.com
