NEIGHBORS IN THE METRO AND IN STUDIO FOR THE FIRST TIME, CLEVELAND COUNTY SHERIFF CHRIS ANDERSON TO TO ANSWER SOME QUESTIONS. AND ALSO TELL US A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT HIMSELF. SO, SHERIFF, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE THIS MORNING. THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME. KYLIE, IT’S GREAT TO BE HERE. HOW ARE YOU DOING? I’M DOING GREAT. DOING GREAT. PERFECT. SO TELL OUR VIEWERS, FOR THOSE WHO AREN’T FAMILIAR WITH YOU, TELL US MORE ABOUT YOU. SURE. I’M AN OKLAHOMA BOY, BORN AND RAISED. I DID MY LAST 20 YEARS AT THE NORMAN POLICE DEPARTMENT AND RAN FOR SHERIFF. THIS IS MY THIRD YEAR AS SHERIFF. I’M LOVING EVERY MINUTE OF IT. I LOVE SERVING THE PEOPLE. CLEVELAND COUNTY AND AND MAKING A DIFFERENCE OUT THERE. THREE YEARS AS SHERIFF. WOW. THAT FIRST 100 DAYS. I MEAN, HOW HOW WAS IT FOR YOU? IT WAS LIKE DRINKING FROM A WATER HOSE OR A FIRE HOSE. I’LL TELL YOU, IT’S A LOT A LOT OF A LOT OF NEW INFORMATION. BUT I’LL TELL YOU WHAT, I’VE GOT A LOT OF GREAT PEOPLE THAT WORK AT THE SHERIFF’S OFFICE AND AND WE REALLY MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THE COMMUNITY. SO IT’S IT’S I’M PROUD TO BE THEIR LEADER. AWESOME. I BET. SO AND TALKING ABOUT PUBLIC SAFETY, I DO WANT TO TALK ABOUT THE OU SCARE FROM BACK IN APRIL RIGHT. THAT WAS A SITUATION YOU ALERT WENT OUT SAYING THERE WAS A MASS SHOOTING ON CAMPUS. IT WAS NOT THAT CASE. BUT TALK ABOUT THAT NIGHT. HOW DID IT GO FOR YOUR DEPUTY? YOU’RE SURE? YOU KNOW, IT WAS A SCARY NIGHT. AND THANK GOD, YOU KNOW, IT WASN’T ANYTHING SERIOUS. BUT, YOU KNOW, I WAS KIND OF LIKE EVERYONE ELSE. I WAS SITTING AT HOME AND GOT THE ALERT ON MY PHONE AND THAT KIND OF CAUSED ME TO JUMP INTO ACTION. AND SEE. BUT LUCKILY, YOU KNOW, SOME OF MY DEPUTIES WERE SOME OF THE FIRST TO ARRIVE ON SCENE. AND I THINK WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE RESPONSE THAT WE HAD THAT NIGHT, WE TALK ABOUT THE OKLAHOMA STANDARD A LOT IN THINGS. AND AND I THINK THAT THAT’S EXACTLY WHAT YOU SAW THAT NIGHT. YOU KNOW, YOU SAW SEVERAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES COMING TOGETHER, WORKING TOGETHER AS TEAMS AND COMING OUT TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM. AND I THINK THAT AROUND THE COUNTRY, OBVIOUSLY, THIS IS A HOT TOPIC, BUT I THINK, YOU KNOW, IF YOU WANT TO SAY THERE’S A PRACTICE RUN ON SOMETHING THAT WAS THE CLOSEST THAT YOU COULD GET TO REALITY AND A RESPONSE. AND WE LEARNED A LOT FROM THAT. WE DID HAD A GREAT RESPONSE, BUT WE WERE ALSO ABLE TO GET TOGETHER AFTERWARDS AND SIT DOWN AND TALK AND OKAY, SO IF THERE’S EVER WERE TO HAPPEN AGAIN, HOW CAN WE DO IT BETTER? SO YOU KNOW, IT IT WAS A GOOD THING IN THE END. I GUESS, IF YOU WANT TO SAY THAT, BECAUSE WE MADE SOMETHING GOOD OUT OF IT, WE MADE IT. WE WERE ABLE TO SEE THAT WE DO HAVE A GOOD RESPONSE AND WE ARE GOING TO HANDLE THESE SITUATIONS IN A POSITIVE MANNER AND TALK ABOUT TRAINING. NOW THAT, YOU KNOW, YOU ALL HAD THIS SCARE BACK IN APRIL, BUT YOU ALL ARE LEARNING FROM THIS SITUATION, LIKE YOU JUST SAID. CAN YOU TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT MAYBE SOME NEW POLICIES THAT HAVE BEEN ACTED OR SOME POLICIES THAT YOU ALL ARE JUST RUNNING THROUGH, AGAIN, JUST TO KEEP, YOU KNOW, KEEP ON YOUR TOES? SURE. I THINK THE BIGGEST THING IS COMMUNICATION BETWEEN THE AGENCIES IN YOU KNOW, IT’S ALL ORGANIZED CHAOS IN THOSE EVENTS. AND WE REALLY NEED TO BE ABLE TO COMMUNICATE WITH EACH OTHER AND TALK TO EACH OTHER. THE OTHER THING WE HAVE, WE JUST GOT APPROVED FOR A GRANT AT CLEVELAND COUNTY TO GET SOME ACTIVE SHOOTER KITS SO THAT WE ARE ABLE TO CARRY THOSE IN OUR CAR AND BREACH DOORS OR HAVE THE PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT FOR OUR DEPUTIES WHEN THEY’RE RESPONDING TO THOSE TYPE OF EVENTS. I MEAN, HOW IMPORTANT ARE THOSE KIDS? OH, ABSOLUTELY. ABSOLUTELY. AND YOU KNOW THAT THE SRO OR THE SCHOOL RESOURCE DEPUTY OR OFFICER PROGRAM IS SOMETHING THAT I’M REALLY PASSIONATE ABOUT. WE’VE INCREASED OUR SROS FROM WHEN I STARTED. WE THINK WE HAD SIX AND NOW WE’RE UP TO 20. WOW. SO MY GOAL IS TO PROTECT ALL THE KIDS IN CLEVELAND COUNTY, OF COURSE, BUT I WOULD REALLY LIKE TO SEE A LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER IN EVERY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL IN MY COUNTY. I FEEL FOR PARENTS WHO ARE LISTENING RIGHT NOW TO HEAR YOU GREW FROM SIX KIDS TO 20. THAT’S GOOD NEWS TO THEM. CAN YOU TALK ABOUT WHAT COMES IN THAT THOSE KIDS? WELL, YOU KNOW, IT’S I DON’T WANT TO GET TOO FAR INTO, BUT IT’S BASICALLY THE EQUIPMENT THAT WE WOULD NEED TO RESPOND TO THESE SITUATIONS AND TO TO BREACH DOORS OR TO KEEP OUR DEPUTIES SAFE AND ALSO TO TO SAVE AND RESCUE ANY VICTIMS OR, YOU KNOW, IT’S A IT’S A GOOD THING TO HAVE. AND IT’S EVEN BETTER TO HAVE IN THE CARS READY TO GO. AND GOING BACK TO, OH, YOU THIS WAS A FALSE ALARM. IT ACTUALLY WAS A SWATTING CALL. I KNOW RIGHT NOW YOUR OFFICE IS WORKING ALONGSIDE SOME OTHER AGENCIES AND TRACKING DOWN THIS SUSPECT. IS THERE ANY UPDATES TO THAT? NO. YOU KNOW, IT’S STILL AN ACTIVE INVESTIGATION AND WE ARE STILL WORKING TOWARDS IDENTIFYING THESE ARE INVESTIGATIONS. THESE ARE HARD, UNFORTUNATELY. BUT WE ARE WORKING TO TRY TO FIND OUT WHO DID IT AND HOLD THEM RESPONSIBLE. ALL RIGHT. AND SHERIFF, WE ARE STARTING THE SUMMER. THIS IS WHEN A LOT OF PEOPLE GET ON THE ROADS. A LOT OF YOUNG PEOPLE ARE OUT OF SCHOOL RIGHT NOW AND THEY’RE TRAVELING AROUND. THIS IS WHAT’S CALLED THE 100 MOST DEADLIEST DAYS OF DRIVING. RIGHT. SO CAN YOU TALK MORE ABOUT THAT? TELL OUR VIEWERS ABOUT THAT. AND ALSO WHAT YOUR SHERIFF’S DEPUTIES RIGHT NOW ARE DOING IN TERMS OF SAFETY ON I-35. SURE. THIS IS KIND OF A HOT TOPIC FOR ME BECAUSE I’VE GOT TO MY MY MY MIDDLE KID JUST GOT HIS PERMIT. SO SO WE’RE LEARNING HOW TO DRIVE AND I’M OUT THERE TEACHING THEM THE RULES OF THE ROAD. BUT NOT THE BEST TEACHER. WELL, I HOPE I HOPE, YOU KNOW, I THINK THE BIGGEST THING IS THESE DAYS EVERYONE SEEMS TO BE IN SUCH A BIG HURRY AND THE SPEEDS THAT WE ARE SEEING ARE JUST UNSAFE AND SPEED KILLS AND PEOPLE NEED TO SLOW DOWN. THEY NEED TO INCREASE THEIR FOLLOWING DISTANCE. YOU KNOW, IF THERE’S NO REASON TO SAVE THOSE 2 OR 3 MINUTES WHEN YOU’RE PUTTING YOUR LIFE AND SOMEONE ELSE’S LIVES AT RISK, SLOW DOWN, GET THERE SAFE, ARRIVE ON TIME AND JUST REALLY BE AWARE AND BUT I THINK THE BIGGEST THING THAT I’VE SEEN ARE THE CELL PHONES. YOU KNOW, WE CAME OUT WITH THE LAW THE THAT YOU CAN’T TEXT WHILE YOU’RE DRIVING, BUT WE’RE STILL SEEING IT AND IT’S CAUSING A LOT OF ACCIDENTS. AND IF PEOPLE JUST PUT THAT CELL PHONE AWAY WHILE THEY’RE DRIVING, I THINK WE WOULD BE FAR AHEAD IN THE ACCIDENT AREA. AND QUICKLY, I DO WANT TO TALK ABOUT THIS. YOUR SHERIFF’S DEPUTIES, YOU ALL JUMPED INTO ACTION IN APRIL WHEN IT CAME TO THOSE TORNADOES AND SEVERE WEATHER THAT TOUCHED DOWN IN CLEVELAND COUNTY. CAN YOU TALK ABOUT HOW YOUR OFFICE IS DOING AND JUST REBOUNDING AND GETTING YOUR NEIGHBORS ALL SITUATED OUT THERE? SURE. YOU KNOW, WEATHER IS ALWAYS GOING TO BE A FACTOR HERE IN OKLAHOMA. THAT’S JUST THE WAY IT IS. BUT WE WE HAVE ALSO LEARNED HOW TO RESPOND TO THESE EVENTS. AND AND ONE OF THE BIGGEST WAYS IS JUST BE A RESOURCE FOR OUR COUNTY. YOU KNOW, WHEN WHEN IT’S HAPPENING. OBVIOUSLY, WE’RE IN THE THE LIFE SAVING MODE GOING OUT THERE AND AND SEARCHING THE THE HOUSES AND THE AND THE SHELTERS. BUT AFTERWARDS, WE REALLY WANT TO SUPPORT AND BE THERE TO TO HELP THEM REBUILD AND KEEP KEEP THEIR PROPERTY SAFE WHILE THEY’RE DOING SO. AND THAT’S WHAT WE DO. AND I’M VERY PROUD OF THE RESPONSE THAT WE HAD. AND I ONLY WANT TO GET BETTER. SO. ALL RIGHT, SHERIFF, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME AND COMING ON TO TALK ABOUT THESE IMPORTANT TOPICS. OUR VIEWERS. WE HAVE A LOT OF VIEWERS OUT THERE IN CLEVELAND COUNTY. I’M SURE THEY ARE WATCHING RIGHT NOW. AND SO THANKFUL TO HEAR FROM