We’ve written a lot about Thunder Alley and the Monday night shooting. But I haven’t seen much in terms of peace officer viewpoint. I received an email from a cop and thought I would share it with you.
“I am a law enforcement officer. Your recent write up on Oklahoma City getting a harsh less in being a big league city was right on point. Many of my brethren have spoken of this article. This past Monday was a disappointing day for OKC despite the Thunder victory. Eight innocent young people were gunned down and many families and children had to see victims laying on the ground bleeding profusely as they walked to their vehicles after the big Thunder victory.
“As you said in your write up ‘All were composed. None seemed rattled. All seemed like they had gone through nights like this â€" shots ringing out, multiple victims â€" far too many times.’ That is absolutely true. I figure you were inside of the arena during the game. You know when Gary England predicts a 100 percent chance of severe weather during a certain time frame on a certain day? Well, had you stepped outside you would have felt like Gary England. You could have predicted a 100 percent chance of severe violence, regardless of the outcome of the game. The violence didn’t only start after the game either. The bottom line is, this ‘Big League City’ needs a ‘Big City’ amount of police officers. There has NOT been a significant officer increase in OKC in several DECADES despite the city population growing exponentially. The arrival of the Thunder and many future attractions (Central Park, a new convention center, river rapids, etc.) will only make things worse. The general public hasn’t noticed crime issues because they’ve usually occurred off of the big stage. Local peace officers have tirelessly handled and worked major events and dealt with crime very well considering their low overall manpower. I can only imagine what could happen in this city if the Thunder happened to win the NBA Finals.
“It’s just such a shame that five percent of the occupants of Thunder Alley are causing the other 95 percent (who are true peaceful Thunder fans) who generally can’t afford tickets to miss out on the pageantry of the NBA playoffs. It’s also a shame that the 95 percent felt unsafe while in Thunder Alley because of the thugs.â€
So there you have it. I got several emails from readers wanting me to hold the city responsible for not being ready for such a situation. But it’s clear that police manpower is an issue. I was told that the city had 10 percent of its police force on duty for Thunder Alley and/or the game. That seems like a lot, considering OKC has 1,029 officers. That’s 102 on duty. And maybe 200 would have been needed to change the tone and tenor of the night. Twenty percent? That’s a lot.
The trouble is, things cost money. I don’t want to get into a debate about government size, but while we all can agree that the federal government is bloated, and some can agree that state governments are bloated, I don’t know too many who could correctly argue that civic governments are bloated. That money for extra police would have to come from somewhere. The city has raised sales taxes to fund MAPS, and most would admit the MAPS projects have done wonders for the city.
MAPS is the reason there was a ballgame on Monday night in the first place. MAPS is the reason Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook run around in jerseys that say “OKLAHOMA CITY.†But being a big-league city now is clearly requiring more and more from the city, and from where do those funds come?
It’s a dilemma
-------------Berry Tramel can be heard Monday through Friday from 4:40-5:20 p.m. on The Sports Animal radio network, including AM-640 and FM-98.1. You can e-mail him here and follow him on Twitter @BerryTramel. Visit Berry's website here.If you enjoyed this post, please consider to leave a comment or subscribe to the feed and get future articles delivered to your feed reader.
No comments:
Post a Comment