Oklahoma County Sheriff outlines new safety measures for high school football games

As high school football season kicks off, Oklahoma County Sheriff Tommie Johnson says safety is top of mind. He spoke with News 9 about the measures in place to keep students, athletes, and families safe this fall.

Q: Why is safety such a priority at school sporting events?

Johnson: “When we talk about safety, it’s always front of everybody’s mind, especially in the realm I exist. Giving people the information of how to protect themself, what to look out for, just the basic steps to keeping yourself safe and aware, so if a situation arises, you can respond appropriately.”

Q: What specific events are you preparing for this season?

Johnson: “When we talk about after-school safety, it is football season, we've got our games getting ready to start. I absolutely love where we’re at but it’s not just football, we’ve got volleyball, a whole host of others that have fall sports.”

Q: What steps are schools taking to improve safety?

Johnson: “We’ve seen a lot of changes come out to ensure safety. We’ve seen a lot of districts that — what they’re saying is, for instance, a football game, if you are not affiliated with the teams that are playing they’re not allowing you in without adult supervision. I think this is an amazing step forward to ensuring that we don’t have juveniles who don’t have a responsible adult or who are not being watched to maintain that area and keep them safe.”

Q: What do you say to fans and parents in the stands?

Johnson: “It’s a competitive environment. I’m gonna tell you I like to get into it, I like to yell and cheer on the team. But what we have to remember is the athletes are on the field, on the courts. Let them compete — and be mindful that we don’t cause interruptions in the stands by disagreeing with other fans. Let’s celebrate them and support them.”

Q: How important is law enforcement presence at these events?

Johnson: “We see SROs who are then turning into the safety element at the game. There’s law enforcement present that will be at every competition that you see. If you see a situation, if you see something start to bubble up or something that’s about to spark, go and get one of these officers, these deputies — notify them so we can really quash anything that could happen.”

Q: What role do parents play in keeping kids safe?

Johnson: “When we’re talking about high school sports and things like that, we’re letting you go out into the world. This is really your first time to operate on your own and be around your friends. Let’s be aware of our environment. That’s what I talk to my kiddos about, be aware of your environment and always cognizant of your surroundings, and act appropriately. You represent your home when you’re away from home, you represent your parents so you want to have that respect for them in the community so act well.”

Q: What do you want students to remember when they attend games?

Johnson: “You tell them things to look out for, you tell them I want you to go to the game, you cheer your team on and you boo the other team and that is all acceptable, everything within reason. Let’s not start fights, let’s not do anything that will bring any negative attention to ourselves, or could get us in any trouble. That’s what we want to be mindful of and share with our kiddos because you want them to go support their friends who are competing. I mean it’s just a great time and an amazing environment but we want to do it respectfully and appropriately.”

Q: What changes have been most effective so far?

Johnson: “Not allowing kids into competitions that aren’t involved in the team whether it be home or away — that is a policy that’s really going to cut down on individuals who are not affiliated, especially our juveniles who are just going to these games, potentially causing situations. That’s a remarkable change that’s happened.”

Q: What’s your overall message to families this season?

Johnson: “We learn from experiences that happened in the past and that’s okay. We want to make sure we have fun, enjoyable, competitive environments and what can we do to ensure that it’s safe and what reasonable changes can we make. I think this is one example of a reasonable change. Always constantly be evaluating — constantly evaluating your safety protocols, constantly looking at things where you may see holes in areas and address them. Just making sure we’re all communicating and looking at ways we can continue to advance the level of safety and continue the level of enjoyment that our students, our faculty, staff, everybody that comes to these games to participate. We can do it and celebrate safely.”