Oklahoma City Police Department

Oklahoma City Police Department
Abbreviation OCPD
Patch of the Oklahoma City Police Department.
Motto Officium Integritas Honestas
Agency overview
Formed 1889
Legal personality Governmental: Government agency
Jurisdictional structure
Operations jurisdiction* City of Oklahoma City in the state of Oklahoma, USA
Map of Oklahoma City Police Department's jurisdiction.
Size 621.2 square miles (1,609 km2)
Population 599,199 (2012)
General nature
Operational structure
Headquarters Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Police Officers 1,116[1]
Civilians 300+
Agency executive William Citty, Chief of Police
Facilities
Helicopters 2
Website
OCPD Website
Footnotes
* Divisional agency: Division of the country, over which the agency has usual operational jurisdiction.

The Oklahoma City Police Department (OCPD) is the principal law enforcement agency of the city of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. It is nationally accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies and is the largest municipal law enforcement agency in the state.

The OCPD was officially organized in 1889 after the City of Oklahoma City incorporated. As of 2013 there were 1,116 commissioned officers and 300 civilians serving in the department.

Organizational structure

The OCPD is organized into a hierarchical structure similar to that of a corporation in a matrix organization. There are division heads with subordinates and an umbrella organization containing the administrative services and a Chief's office which would be synonymous to a corporate board. The Chief of Police reports to the Mayor of Oklahoma City.

Each organization is headed by a Deputy Chief which would be synonymous to a division president, where they all report directly to the Chief (or CEO). Following the corporate model has made the OCPD more efficient yet still able to handle the multitudes of responsibilities of public safety in a big city.

Oklahoma City Police Department

Ranks

[2]

Services

Chief's Office

The Chief's Office is responsible for the complete daily operation of Police Department. The Chief of Police is appointed by the City Manager. Chief William Citty was appointed on October, 2003. The Chief's offices are located at the main police headquarters on the west side of Downtown Oklahoma City.

The Chief's office oversees the operations of the Special Investigations Division (SID), Emergency Management Coordinator (EMC), Public Information Office, and the Office of Professional Standards.

The Chief's office also has responsibility for Finance and Personnel oversight of the department and provides direction to the Oklahoma City division of the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP).

There is also a Police Chaplain's office.

Administration

The Administration Bureau is provides numerous administrative functions, including Training and Recruiting, Planning and Research, and Logistics Support. The Administration Bureau is commanded by Deputy Chief Ken McDonald and is also located at police headquarters in downtown OKC.

The Administration Bureau also supervises the 911 emergency communications center.

Investigations

The Investigations Bureau consists of the bulk of the white collar police jobs in the department. The department investigates various crimes that occur in the city of Oklahoma City. Department organizations includes the Person and Property Crimes Division, Youth and Family Services, and the Laboratory Services (Crime Lab). Laboratory services assist with the collection and examination of evidence, processing of crime scenes, and inmate processing.

Deputy Chief Johnny Kuhlman commands the Investigations Bureau.

Operations

The Operations Bureau provides the bulk of the visible police operations that would be seen by the average citizen. The division is divided into two parts with each having its own Deputy Chief, Central Bureau and Metro Bureau, who oversee the Four patrol divisions and the Uniform Support Division.

The Central Bureau is led by Deputy Chief John Scully while the Metro Bureau is commanded by Deputy Chief Tom Jester. and such

The five patrol divisions serve the various geographical precincts of Oklahoma City (Hefner-NW, Santa Fe-S, Springlake-NE, Will Rogers-Central, Bricktown-BT) and are each headed by a major. Each of these divisions include uniformed officers that directly serve the citizens of Oklahoma City.

The Uniform Support division is headed by Major Ed Hill and includes specialized units which support the patrol divisions. As with other big-city departments, OCPD detectives are assigned to specialized units, including of the following:

Other Uniform Support divisions include:

Misconduct

In April, 2010, one unnamed Oklahoma City officer mistakenly shot another in the leg while trying to kill a dog. The dog escaped.[3]

In August 2010, Officer John Paull was on his way to a routine call. He was driving at 64 miles an hour in an area where the speed limit was only 35 miles per hour. He collided with another vehicle killing Raul Becerra. The department said the speeding officer did not have his emergency lights or sirens on at the time of the accident and did not intend to examine its policy toward responding to routine calls.[4]

In December 2010, the department agreed to pay $10,000 to a woman who was mistakenly arrested in front of her grandchildren in a case of mistaken identity. [5]

In July 2011, Oklahoma City police arrested about twenty children who were waiting outside a movie theatre after the movie ended. They were initially charged with curfew violations, although the arrests happened twenty minutes before the 11:00PM deadline. Police Chief Bill Citty admitted the officers involved made a mistake.[6]

In March 2012, Officer Roland Benavides was convicted of gambling offenses and given a five-year deferred sentence. He had resigned from the force the preceding January, after he was caught.[7]

In August 2012, Sergeant Maurice Martinez plead guilty to a dozen counts of sexual abuse of boys in his care. [8]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Oklahoma City Police Department
  2. ↑
  3. ↑ Oklahoma City police officer shot by another aiming at charging dog, by Staff Reports, 24 April 2010, NewsOK.com retrieved 19 January 2014
  4. ↑ Police: Officer Speeding At Time Of Crash Raul Becerra, 49, Died In Crash With Officer John Paull On July 29, 2 August 2010, KOCO.COM retrieved 19 January 2014
  5. ↑ OKC settles lawsuit filed by wrongfully arrested woman, by Bryan Dean, 12 December 2010, NewsOK.com retrieved 19 January 2014
  6. ↑ Oklahoma City parents complain police wrongly rounded up teenagers in Bricktown:Oklahoma City Police Chief Bill Citty said some of the complaints parents made after a curfew sweep Saturday night were valid, by Bryan Dean, 20 July 2011, NewsOK.com retrieved 19 January 2014
  7. ↑ Okla. ex-officer admits breaking anti-gambling law, by the Associated Press, 16 March 2012, Times News-Record
  8. ↑ OKC Police Sgt. pleads guilty to sex abuse, by Sharon Stewart, 21 August 2012, KFOR.COM, retrieved 19 January 2014

External links