Law Enforcement in SWOK teaming up

Fort Sill, Okla. (KSWO) - Fort Sill and local law enforcement are working together to better serve southwest Oklahoma.

Fort Sill hosted a briefing to exchange information, talk about different crime trends, consolidate crime data, identify problems around the area and much more.

Several law enforcement agencies were on post, to share what they’ve been seeing in their communities, and how they can help Fort Sill law enforcement.

“We have Oklahoma State Patrol is here, Lawton Police Department is here. We have some agencies as far away as Altus, some security forces from Altus Air Force Base,” Fort Sill Provost Marshal Michael King said.

Comanche Nation and OSBI were also at the briefing.

It’s all an effort to ensure the security and safety of soldiers that live on and off post.

“If our soldiers are needing assistance off the installation and they tell us they need assistance then we can work with local law enforcement to ensure that they are getting their needs met,” King said.

King said the partnerships are standard practice throughout the military at every installation he’s been a provost marshal on.

Captain Robert Whittington with Lawton Police Department is all in on what Fort Sill is doing, and is glad that his department is a part of it.

“A lot of networking. A lot of getting to know who we need to call if something happens, if there’s a critical incident or even just exchange of information of what’s going on in our back yard,” Whittington said.

Fort Sill has a number of initiatives in place with local law enforcement agencies to better protect soldiers as well.

One of those initiatives is the Ride Along Program.

“If there’s a particular area that our community needs to be aware of then that Ride Along Program with local law enforcement allows commanders to see exactly where that is. They can relay that information back our soldiers in our community and our community is aware of it and they don’t accidentally wonder into an area they shouldn’t be,” King said.