The Senate Public Safety Committee heard from law enforcement officials, Career Tech representatives and mental health experts Thursday about modernizing training for Oklahoma’s law enforcement officers and their mental health needs. The study was requested by Majority Floor Leader, Sen. Kim David, R-Porter, and Appropriations Chairman, Sen. Roger Thompson, R-Okemah.
Sen. David knows the importance of good training and proper mental health as her husband is a retired U.S. Marshal and former Broken Arrow police officer. He now serves as a certified critical incident response councilor and sits on the board of the Warriors’ Rest Foundation.
“Coming from a law enforcement family, I remember seeing how training improved the officers around us, and I want to make sure that all Oklahoma law enforcement agencies have access to the high quality training they need to properly protect themselves and the public,” David said. “People see the chaos in our country and think it’s happening in their own backyard, but we have tremendous law enforcement officers in Oklahoma. However, they are struggling with recruitment and retention in this difficult time. Our law enforcement is under unimaginable stress and we must protect them and their mental health. We need to reassure young people that this is a great profession and keep our brave men and women from leaving this honorable profession.”
Thompson echoed David’s sentiments thanking the speakers for their dedication to helping Oklahoma’s law enforcement officers.
“We received some great information in this study and want to thank everyone who is working with us to figure out how to best train our law enforcement and improve departments and agencies across the state. We strongly support these courageous public servants, and these issues will be prioritized this session,” Thompson said. “While these officers have selflessly dedicated their lives to protecting the public, we must ensure that they’re also taking care of their families, themselves and their mental health.”
Tulsa Police Chief Wendell Franklin and Eufaula Police Chief Mark Goodwin shared their perspectives on current law enforcement training along with the need for further mental health assistance for officers. Tulsa Police Department has its own academy and requires 1,060 hours of training as well as a bachelor’s degree for employment. Before going out on their own, Tulsa officers receive a total of nine months of training. The Eufaula Police Department receives the state mandated 583 hours of CLEET training plus any additional training required for the Department once an officer returns from CLEET training. Their testimony showed the differences in training resources for urban and rural law enforcement agencies. Both acknowledged that additional funding for further training would be beneficial in all law enforcement agencies

Henryetta’s teachers and parents are still adjusting to the online learning effort this year.
That was the opinion expressed at the Henryetta school board Monday night.
Elementary principal Jayme Matlock told the board all available Chromebooks have been sent to students but there are several families where the computers have to be shared by two or more children.
“We are waiting for more to come in,” she said.
Those students who do not have access to the internet have received their Instruction packets and Matlock said those students are meeting with teachers and staff members. “This has presented some difficulties,” she said. “Many of our teachers and staff members have set up appointments with families who are struggling with the technology side of things.”
“We have had a select number of students at each time. They are spread out around the campus and everyone wears masks.”
She went on to recognize the Henryetta Church of the Nazarene that has made space and volunteers available for some 30 students to work online. “The pastor’s wife has put in tons of hours. The youth pastor was a teacher in Missouri and has an education background,” she told board members.
High school principal Kelly Furer said the experience since August 24 has been different. “All of this has been unknown to us. Without our teacher, I would hate to see what we would be doing for virtual learning at this time.”
Furer told the board the most recent student college remediation report available comes from 2017. “Usually when we get it, it is two years backdated.”
She said that report indicated Henryetta had 23 college freshmen students who required remedial work. One was in science, seven in English, 10 math and four in reading. “I have given this data to the teachers and we will be improving in these areas,” she said.
During the meeting the board voted to approve

• the Estimate of Needs for 2020-2021 school year.
• Fund Raisers for the 2020-2021 school year.
• Hire Stephen L. Smith Corp. as financial consultants to the School District, for the fiscal year 2020-2021.
• School days/Hours for the 2020-2021 school year.
• Science courses taught by Green County
• Technology to count towards graduation credits for 2020-2021 school year.
• the Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology Education Contract for Secondary Career and Technology Education Programs for the school year 2020-2021.
• Special Services Agreement between United Community Action Head Start & Henryetta Public Schools for the 2020-2021 school year.
• Renewal Agreement between Peak Uptime for the Mitel Phone System Support for the 2020-2021 school year.
• Justin Been and Lance Beck as Adjunct Teachers for the 2020-2021 school year. They are asking to teach something they are not certified in. Both gentlemen are highly effective teachers,” Furer said. “Been is teaching world history and a section of drama and Beck is being asked to teach three sections of world history. You are allowed to adjunct a teacher in three classes,” she explained. Beck has taken the certification test for world history but those results have not been returned to the school.

The city of Henryetta paid out nearly $45,000 to cover the cost of a chemical spill at the water plant earlier this month.
The expense covered cleanup and disposal by Environmental Remediation Specialists, Inc. That spill took place Sept. 6 and, according to city public works director Ron Casey, was contained inside a building designed for such an emergency.
Approval for the payment was made Tuesday night at the September city council meeting.
Following a lengthy discussion council members gave David Garcia and Toni Null a 30-day extension on a deadline to make “significant” repairs to a house at 105 East Smith.
At the August meeting, council members agreed to the original 30-day extension before declaring the house dilapidated and scheduling it for demolition.
Tuesday night Garcia said he has suffered several setbacks in the repairs including theft of wiring and loss of tools.
Code enforcement officer Jody Agee said no building or electrical permits had been obtained during the past 30 days for any work at the house.
“I drove by there and can’t see any improvements at all,” said mayor Jennifer Munholland.
A fire at the house was said to have damaged the structure and Garcia told the council he had been working on the foundation.
“You have to have the permits,” councilor Michael Dickey said. “I drove by there and it looking like all you did was mow the lawn.”
Null and Garcia have until the October council meeting to show work has made a difference on the house.
Munholland said the city is waiting for tests to be returned regarding asbestos at the old caretaker’s house at Nichols Park.
“The caretaker’s house sat there eight years without being touched and now there has been a lot of drama on Facebook,” she said.
She pointed out the floors and walls have rotted away.
“We can save the patio and front fireplace and make it a pavilion of some sort,” she added.
Council members approved placement of a radio repeater on the water tower on North Third Street. That repeater is designed to provide better radio reception for county law enforcement when they are in the area. It will be paid for by the sheriff’s department.

A Henryetta motorist is believed to have suffered a medical incident that resulted in his pickup driving through a yard then going airborne before crashing into a house on winding up on top of another truck Monday morning. The driver was northbound on third Street when the accident occured. He was treated at the scene by emergency personnel. No one in the home or neighborning houses were injured in the crash.