OEC lights up police work with new flashlights

Story by: Brittnee McCabe

The OEC Foundation, Inc. approved a $2,981 grant Aug. 15 for the Newcastle Police Department through the Operation Round Up® (ORU) program. The grant provided two dozen highly advanced flashlights for law enforcement officers, and they’ve already come in handy.

“We were able to use the flashlights following an accident on I-44 that occurred around 11:30 p.m. one night in December,” said Newcastle Police Department Chief of Police Gary Norman. “We used them to direct traffic and provide light around the accident, and for emergency services to provide care to those involved in the accident.”

The officers have since used the flashlights for other various calls.

“Our police department had an incident where they needed to use the flashlights to track an individual with our K-9 unit in the woods for about a mile and a half,” stated Norman. “If we didn’t have the flashlights for either of those instances, we wouldn’t have been able to do our job. The community relies on us to keep them safe and everything that has been given to us helps us do exactly that. We can’t do our job without the assistance of The OEC Foundation and [OEC] members and appreciate everything they have given us.”

The OEC Foundation has supported the Newcastle Police Department since 2015, providing grants for various types of equipment including body cameras and flashlights for their 20 full-time officers, one K9 unit and their Reserve officers. These particular flashlights have a maximum run time of 10 hours, are rechargeable and can illuminate 754 feet in front of the officers. An average flashlight can only illuminate about 330 feet. Many law enforcement officers use the Streamlight Stinger flashlights because of their dependability, long-lasting rechargeable battery and lightweight design, making it one of the best and most sought after flashlights on the market.

“As always, OEC members’ generosity allows us to satisfy a wide-range of needs,” said OEC Foundation President Alan Davenport. “They are keeping their donations local and putting them right back into our communities.”

ORU is made possible by tens of thousands of OEC members who choose to round up their electric bills to the nearest dollar each month.

Applications – individual and organizational – are available at www.okcoop.org/ORU. Contact Education and Outreach Programs Director Tory Tedder-Loffland at ORU@okcoop.org or 405-217-6726 for questions regarding the program or application process.