City Council Members Working To Improve Police De-escalation Methods

A couple of city councilman reacted to the charge of first-degree manslaughter filed against five Oklahoma City officers who shot and killed a teenage robbery suspect in November.

The city said they are actively working to better protect and serve the community.

Without commenting on the specifics of the case, in light of the newly released video, city officials released the following statements:

Councilman Todd Stone from Ward 4 said:

"My heart goes out to all of those involved in this situation, as well as their families.

As a member of the city's de-escalation task force, I will continue to search for ways to have better outcomes for our citizens and the officers who are tasked with protecting us on a daily basis."

Councilman James Cooper of Ward 2 also responded.          

“I’m always going to be very disturbed when I see anyone use violence to solve an issue, so I would hope that we learn from this lesson, from this moment and again find our humanity again. I know we can all do better,” said Cooper.          

Cooper said the city is working to make changes for a better future.

He said they're revisiting the concept of a human rights commission, improving de-escalation policies, while also working towards implementing programs adopted by other cities.

“We're also looking at a resolution I authored with our cities municipal council, six different policy proposal that would look at community policing and public safety in the 21st century.  

He said in addition to spending hours listening to community input, he's also spent time with officers.

“I take public safety very seriously and I wanted to make sure that I understood what our officers are going through when they are out their serving and protecting,” said Cooper.

Councilman Cooper encouraged the community to visit voicesofokc@21cpsolutions.com to give input on changes you'd like to see made.