Oklahoma City Thunder: Cop weighs in on Thunder Alley

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 — shots ringing out, multiple victims — 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.