Oklahoma County sheriff talks coordination efforts for NBA Finals safety

Oklahoma County Sheriff Tommie Johnson III discusses safety plans and coordination efforts ahead of Game 6 of the NBA playoffs in Oklahoma City.

HEY. WELCOME BACK. OKLAHOMA! EACH MONTH WE SIT DOWN WITH LOCAL LEADERS TO TALK ABOUT WHAT’S HAPPENING IN THE METRO. WE WANT TO GO AHEAD AND SAY GOOD MORNING TO AND WELCOME IN OKLAHOMA COUNTY SHERIFF TOMMY JOHNSON, THE THIRD SIR. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE. THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME. LET’S START WITH THE BIG HEADLINE TODAY, GAME SIX OF THE NBA FINALS. THE THUNDER COULD POSSIBLY WIN TONIGHT. BRING HOME AN NBA CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER. YOU GOT TO SPEAK IT INTO EXISTENCE. I KNOW NOT POSSIBLY NOT IF, BUT WHEN? WHEN. YOU’RE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT. YES, MA’AM. I LIKE THAT THOUGHT. OKAY, SO LET’S TALK ABOUT HOW YOU ALL ARE PREPARING FOR THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE TO BE IN DOWNTOWN OKLAHOMA CITY, IN THE METRO, IN THE COUNTY. SO WHAT’S THE PLAN LOOKING LIKE RIGHT NOW? OBVIOUSLY, TO BE THERE AND ULTIMATELY TO SUPPORT OKLAHOMA CITY POLICE DEPARTMENT. ONE, THEY’VE DONE A FABULOUS JOB. THEY HAVE A FABULOUS TEAM, CERTAINLY NOT GUYS AND GALS FROM MY AREA, BUT I DO APPRECIATE GOOD LEADERSHIP IN LAW ENFORCEMENT ALL ACROSS. SO DEFINITELY WANT TO SHOUT OUT CAPTAIN AUDREY GEORGE AND CAPTAIN, OUR DEPUTY CHIEF JENNINGS OVER THERE AT OKLAHOMA CITY. THEY HAVE DONE AN AMAZING JOB, NOT ONLY FROM THE COORDINATION OF THE EVENTS WITH THE GAMES, BUT ALSO WITH PREPARATION FOR THE PARADE. AND SO WHAT WE WILL DO IS WE WILL ASSIST THEM IN ANY WAY POSSIBLE THAT THEY NEED TO SUPPORT, BECAUSE WE WANT PEOPLE TO HAVE AN AMAZING TIME TONIGHT WHEN WE WIN. WHEN WE WIN, I LOVE IT. OKAY, AND TALKING ABOUT THE PARADE, THAT’S A POSSIBILITY HERE. WHEN WE WIN, WHAT WILL Y’ALL’S, YOU KNOW, ASSISTANCE LOOK LIKE IN THAT SPHERE? CERTAINLY. AND THIS GOES BACK TO THE PREPARATION PHASE. THERE ARE SO MANY GROUPS THAT ARE COMING TOGETHER FROM THE CITY TO THE THUNDER TO THE LAW ENFORCEMENT SPACE, WHO ARE LOOKING AT A, YOU KNOW, A MYRIAD OF DIFFERENT THINGS FROM, YOU KNOW, HOW MANY PEOPLE DO WE BELIEVE COMING IN? YOU JUST CITED EARLIER, WE BELIEVE 500,000 WENT TO THE MILWAUKEE PARADE. WHAT ARE WE GOING TO SEE OR POSSIBLY ANTICIPATE AT THIS ONE? SO WE NEED TO HAVE SO MANY LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS ON SITE TO BE ABLE TO FACILITATE AND KEEP THIS THING SAFE. AND ALL OF THAT GOES INTO THE PREPARATION SIDE. SO WE’RE MAKING SURE ALL THE RESOURCES ARE AVAILABLE. EVERYONE KNOWS THEIR ROLE, BECAUSE WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT COORDINATING EVENTS AND KEEPING PEOPLE SAFE, COMMUNICATION IS PARAMOUNT. MAKING SURE YOU KNOW WHAT YOUR ROLE, WHAT YOU’RE RESPONSIBLE FOR, WHAT AM I RESPONSIBLE FOR, AND ALL OF THAT IS REALLY BEING WORKED OUT. AND, YOU KNOW, I THINK THE LAST COUPLE DAYS IS WHEN EVERYTHING’S REALLY BEING NAILED DOWN. COMMUNICATION AND PARTNERSHIP SOUND LIKE THEY ARE INCREASINGLY IMPORTANT IN THIS SPACE WE’RE IN RIGHT NOW. WHAT IS YOUR MESSAGE TO FANS, PEOPLE THAT WILL BE OUT TONIGHT WATCHING THIS GAME? THIS IS HUGE FOR OUR CITY. THIS IS HUGE FOR OUR STATE. LIKE I HEARD SOMEBODY SAY, YOU KNOW, WE NEED TO APPROACH THIS. LIKE, YOU KNOW, IT’S NOT OUR FIRST TIME, BUT IT IS OUR FIRST TIME. AND I’M SUPER EXCITED AND I HOPE EVERYONE ELSE IS. BUT LET’S BE MINDFUL. LET’S BE RESPONSIBLE. LET’S SHOW THE REST OF THE WORLD, BECAUSE THAT’S WHO’S REALLY WATCHING. YOU KNOW, BASKETBALL IS A WORLD LOVED SPORT. AND SO LET’S SHOW THEM, YOU KNOW, THE APPRECIATION WE HAVE FOR OUR TEAM, BUT ALSO HOW WE TREAT INDIANAPOLIS WITH RESPECT AND HOW WE TREAT OUR COMMUNITY. EXCUSE ME WITH RESPECT AFTER WE WIN. ABSOLUTELY. I DO WANT TO SWITCH GEARS HERE AND TALK ABOUT OPERATION GUARDIAN. THAT IS THE STATE’S PLAN TO TARGET UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS WITH A CRIMINAL HISTORY. CAN YOU SHARE HOW THAT PROCESS IS GOING WHEN IT RELATES TO THE OKLAHOMA COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE? CERTAINLY. SO WHAT GOVERNOR KEVIN STITT AND THEN WITH DPS, WHERE THEY HAVE STARTED IS THROUGH THE PRISON SYSTEM, THROUGH THE JAIL SYSTEM, TO WORK OUT THE INDIVIDUALS WE KNOW ARE HERE ILLEGALLY AND MAKE SURE WE GET THEM OUT BECAUSE THEY HAVE BEEN CONVICTED OF CRIMES AND ARE IN THERE. LET’S START WITH THAT. FIRST, AS IT RELATES TO OKLAHOMA COUNTY, WE DON’T HAVE A JAIL ANYMORE. SO A LOT OF THOSE PROCESSES WITH THE, YOU KNOW, THE. WITH DHS AND THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY, THEY’RE WE’RE NOT IN THAT SPACE A WHOLE LOT. SO WHEN WE COME OUT AND IT’S WHAT I’VE TOLD OUR COMMUNITY, IF YOU’RE ILLEGAL AND YOU’RE COMMITTING CRIMES, WE’RE COMING AT YOU. WE’RE GOING TO GET YOU. IF WE CONTACT YOU THROUGH OUR DAILY BUSINESS OF DOING THE JOB, WE’RE GOING TO HANDLE OUR BUSINESS. WE APPROACH THIS AS WE ALWAYS HAVE. SINCE I’VE BEEN IN OFFICE, AND IF IT’S ILLEGAL, IT’S ILLEGAL. WE JUST SAW THE CURRENT SESSION IN YOUR OFFICE, SUPPORTED A COUPLE OF BILLS THAT WERE PASSED THROUGH, HEADED TO THE GOVERNOR’S DESK IF NOT ALREADY SIGNED NOW, BUT TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THOSE THAT SENATE BILL 747 AND ALSO SENATE BILL 523. YES, I WILL TELL YOU, I LEARNED SO MUCH THROUGH THIS LEGISLATION PERIOD. AND I YOU KNOW, YOU NEED PARTNERS AND YOU NEED PEOPLE TO HELP. AND SO THAT’S WHY I’M SO GRATEFUL FOR EDWARD CAPITAL PARTNERS, BECAUSE THAT WAS THE LOBBYING FIRM THAT WE, YOU KNOW, WENT AFTER AND SAID, HEY, CAN YOU HELP US GET THESE TWO PIECES OF LEGISLATION ACROSS BECAUSE IT TAKES SO MUCH TIME AND EFFORT, AND IT’S WHAT I’VE TOLD PEOPLE, YOU HAVE TO BE ABLE TO TALK TO ALL THE SHAREHOLDERS, ALL THE STAKEHOLDERS INVOLVED WITH EACH PIECE OF LEGISLATION, MAKE SURE THEY’RE OKAY AND COMFORTABLE WITH THE LANGUAGE, AND THEN YOU NEED TO BE ABLE TO QUELL ANY OF THE POSSIBLE ISSUES THAT COULD COME UP. SO THAT TAKES SOMEONE BEING ON SITE AND BEING THERE ALL THE TIME. SO WE’RE GRATEFUL FOR THEM, FOR BEING THERE FOR US. BUT WHEN WE TALK ABOUT 747 SENATE BILL 747, THAT’S THE ONLINE AUCTION THAT IS GOING TO BE SO HELPFUL FOR THE SHERIFF’S OFFICE. WHEN I FIRST CAME IN, YOU KNOW, COVID WAS THERE. WE COULDN’T REALLY ALL GET AROUND. AND THEN OBVIOUSLY I HAVE DEPUTIES. IT TAKES A WHOLE LOT OF DEPUTIES TO RUN THIS. AND WE NEED THOSE GUYS AND GALS IN CRITICAL SPACES TO KEEP OTHER THINGS SAFE. AND THEN WHEN WE LOOK AT THE LAST AND FINAL THING, HOW DOES THIS AFFECT OUR CITIZENRY? SO TRYING TO HAVE A PERSPECTIVE MINDSET AND SEE HOW CAN WE BRING THIS PIECE OF OUR OFFICE INTO THE FUTURE? I SAID, ONLINE AUCTION IS THE WAY TO GO. AND BECAUSE OF THAT, THE COMPETITIVENESS OF THE AUCTION BECAUSE SO MANY PEOPLE CAN TAP IN AND AND GET INVOLVED IN THIS, THEY DON’T HAVE TO SHOW UP PHYSICALLY. WE’VE BEEN ABLE TO GET PEOPLE WHO ARE GOING THROUGH WHAT I BELIEVE IS THE HARDEST PART OF THEIR LIFE, LOSING THEIR HOME. $30,000 AFTER ALL OF THEIR DEBTS HAVE BEEN SETTLED, TO START FRESH AND START NEW BECAUSE OF THE COMPETITIVENESS, WE’VE BEEN ABLE TO LEAVE DEPUTIES ON THE ROADWAY AND IN CRITICAL POSITIONS WHERE THEY’RE NEEDED TO KEEP PEOPLE SAFE. AND I JUST THINK THIS PIECE OF LEGISLATION, EVERYBODY WINS IN IT, EVERYBODY WINS. AND THAT’S THAT’S GOOD LEGISLATION. WE’RE SO HAPPY THAT THAT THEY PUSHED IT THROUGH. ALL RIGHT. SHERIFF TOMMY JOHNSON, THE THIRD. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME COMING IN AND GIVING US ALL THIS INFORMATION HERE. IT’S AN EXCITING DAY FOR OUR STATE, FOR OUR COUNTY, FOR OUR CITY. WE’RE ALL GETTING INTO THE ACTION TODAY. WE WILL SEE YOU IN OUR NEXT MONTHLY CHECK IN. YES, YES YES, I CANNOT WAIT. I’M SO EXCITED. I’M GOING TO GO CRAZY TONIGHT. ONE LAST THUNDER UP BEFORE WE SEND IT OVER TO. LET’S GO JOSEPH. YEAH, LO

Oklahoma County sheriff talks coordination efforts for NBA Finals safety

Oklahoma County Sheriff Tommie Johnson III discusses safety plans and coordination efforts ahead of Game 6 of the NBA playoffs in Oklahoma City.

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Updated: 12:44 PM CDT Jun 19, 2025

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Oklahoma County Sheriff Tommie Johnson III shared his excitement and detailed safety plans as Oklahoma City prepares for Game 6 of the NBA playoffs, with thousands of fans expected to gather for watch parties.”I heard somebody say we need to approach this like it’s not our first time, but it is our first time, and I’m super excited, and I hope everyone else is, but let’s be mindful, let’s be responsible,” Johnson said.Johnson emphasized the collaboration between his deputies and the Oklahoma City Police Department, praising their efforts in managing the event and preparing for a potential victory parade.>> Download the KOCO 5 App | Subscribe to KOCO 5’s YouTube channel”They’ve done a fabulous job,” Johnson said. “Definitely want to shout out Capt. George and Deputy Chief Jennings over there at OKC. (They) have done an amazing job in coordinating the events with the games, but also with prep for the parade, and so what we’ll do is assist them in any way possible that they need to support, because we want people to have an amazing time tonight when we win.”>> Video Below: Oklahoma City police chief says department is prepared for possible Thunder celebrationsJohnson highlighted the importance of communication among the city, the Thunder and various law enforcement agencies to ensure safety.”We need to have so many law enforcement officers on site to be able to facilitate and keep this thing safe,” he said. “We’re making sure all the resources are available. Everyone knows their role when you talk about coordinating events and keeping people safe. Communication is paramount.”>> Video Below: OKC police prepare for widespread celebrations if Thunder clinch NBA titleAhead of the game, Johnson encouraged fans to support the team while maintaining respect for the community.”Let’s go out. Let’s cheer for the Thunder. Let’s show the rest of the world, because that’s who’s really watching. Basketball is a world-loved sport,” Johnson said. “Let’s show them the appreciation we have for our team, but also how we treat Indy with respect, how we treat our community with respect after we win.”More Thunder Headlines The Thunder know an NBA title is just 1 win away Thunder NBA Finals: Tickets, schedule and what to know Swiss fan fulfills dream of visiting Oklahoma City for Thunder game Oklahoma City Thunder fans bring electric energy to Paycom Center OKC Bricktown Water Taxi welcomes global visitors during NBA Finals NBA Finals schedule: When you can watch the Thunder play

Oklahoma County Sheriff Tommie Johnson III shared his excitement and detailed safety plans as Oklahoma City prepares for Game 6 of the NBA playoffs, with thousands of fans expected to gather for watch parties.

“I heard somebody say we need to approach this like it’s not our first time, but it is our first time, and I’m super excited, and I hope everyone else is, but let’s be mindful, let’s be responsible,” Johnson said.

Johnson emphasized the collaboration between his deputies and the Oklahoma City Police Department, praising their efforts in managing the event and preparing for a potential victory parade.

>> Download the KOCO 5 App | Subscribe to KOCO 5’s YouTube channel

“They’ve done a fabulous job,” Johnson said. “Definitely want to shout out Capt. George and Deputy Chief Jennings over there at OKC. (They) have done an amazing job in coordinating the events with the games, but also with prep for the parade, and so what we’ll do is assist them in any way possible that they need to support, because we want people to have an amazing time tonight when we win.”

>> Video Below: Oklahoma City police chief says department is prepared for possible Thunder celebrations

Johnson highlighted the importance of communication among the city, the Thunder and various law enforcement agencies to ensure safety.

“We need to have so many law enforcement officers on site to be able to facilitate and keep this thing safe,” he said. “We’re making sure all the resources are available. Everyone knows their role when you talk about coordinating events and keeping people safe. Communication is paramount.”

>> Video Below: OKC police prepare for widespread celebrations if Thunder clinch NBA title

Ahead of the game, Johnson encouraged fans to support the team while maintaining respect for the community.

“Let’s go out. Let’s cheer for the Thunder. Let’s show the rest of the world, because that’s who’s really watching. Basketball is a world-loved sport,” Johnson said. “Let’s show them the appreciation we have for our team, but also how we treat Indy with respect, how we treat our community with respect after we win.”

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