The Hot Seat: Public Safety Heroes Project aims to improve crime legislation and policing in Oklahoma

The Public Safety Heroes Project, led by former Oklahoma District Attorney Mike Fields, aims to promote policies that improve public safety by connecting law enforcement, crime advocates, and legislators.

"It’s an initiative where we hope to spotlight and promote policies and legislation that will positively move the needle for public safety issues," Fields said during an interview on The Hot Seat with Scott Mitchell.

Addressing Public Safety Challenges

Fields emphasized that crime is an ongoing issue that impacts everyone—individuals, families, and even the economy.

"We know that crime has always been an issue. And as long as human beings are human beings, crime is going to continue to be an issue," Fields said. "We know that the impacts of crime affect all of us all the time in all these different ways."

Legislative Priorities: License Plate Readers

One of the key proposals the project is supporting involves license plate readers (LPRs)—cameras placed on roadways that capture vehicle license plates and store them in a database for law enforcement use.

"There is one bill out of our 12 that specifically deals with that issue of technology and law enforcement," Fields said. "It deals with what we call license plate readers, LPRs. And these are cameras that are placed on roadways that take a picture of only your license plate."

According to Fields, LPR technology has already played a crucial role in solving serious crimes quickly both in Oklahoma and nationwide.

"We’ve seen that even in Oklahoma, as well as all across the nation, there have been some very high-profile, very serious, very life-altering crimes that were able to be solved immediately and quickly because we had license plate readers in place," he said.

Looking Ahead

As the project gains momentum, Fields hopes to highlight and support legislation that strengthens public safety measures across the state.

"This was a way that we could highlight some of those policies that we think are good and that we think will move the needle in a positive direction in terms of public safety," Fields said.

The Public Safety Heroes Project will continue to monitor new legislative efforts and work with stakeholders to push effective crime policies forward.