Service Spotlight: Major Chad Vincent

Talk about baptism by fire. Or, in the case of newly minted Norman Police Major Chad Vincent, baptism by heavy snowfall.

As he was transitioning into his new rank and new responsibilities as supervisor of the department’s Operations Bureau in February, Vincent and the officers he is now managing barely got to shake hands before record snowfall slammed into Oklahoma and blanketed Norman and the rest of the state during two weeks of historic cold temperatures.

“That first week I got to watch and serve alongside men and women who rescued more than 500 people that were stranded in a blizzard,” Vincent said. “The entire department rallied together. We had officers that were shopping for groceries for an elderly lady. She didn’t know how she was going to eat. We had officers who, without any prompting, were doing things like that to serve the community.”

Vincent moved to Norman to start college after finishing high school in Tulsa. He joined the Oklahoma Air National Guard and then earned a finance degree in 2000. He also got married that same year.

With a degree in hand, he and his wife, Carrie, moved to Washington for a job he accepted at the Pentagon as a budget analyst.

“We realized that we enjoyed the Norman community and really just kind of missed that environment, so after about six months of living in the big city, we packed up and came right back to Norman,” Vincent remembered.

Arriving back in Oklahoma, Vincent took a job as an accountant at Gaillardia Country Club in Oklahoma City. During his year at Gaillardia, he often joked about needing a job with a company car. That “company car” would come in the form of a police cruiser when he joined the Norman force in 2002.

“It’s just been a fantastic experience ever since I got here,” Vincent said of his now 19 years with NPD. “It’s really been a privilege to lead some outstanding and very talented and passionate police officers along the way.”

In addition to leading officers, Vincent also led the effort to establish Norman’s School Resource Officers program, initially with a force of one, himself.

“The first year was just me as lieutenant,” Vincent recalled. “That was kind of the build year. The next year, we are able to bring on five officers, and the third year we were able to add three more. Eight is what we’re at now.”

Vincent is proud to have seen the program grow and its work with Norman’s young people, describing the SROs as mentors to the student with whom they interact.

“I believe our school resource officers truly set the standard across the country for what an SRO program should look like,” Vincent said. “Students are the most important asset to our entire community. These are the people that are going to be leading our city and cities across the country, in the next generation. It’s incredibly important.

“They’re with students through troubles and challenges and good times. They get to share in the celebrations just as much as they do the challenging times.”

Looking ahead, Vincent is excited about his latest opportunity to lead. In his role as the head of operations, he’ll oversee Norman’s three patrol bureaus, uniform support division functions, including traffic and parking, community outreach, homelessness initiatives and the school resource officers program.

“For the first time in 19 years, I really get the chance to zoom out and see and hear the stories of what our police officers are doing out in our community from across the entire operation spectrum,” Vincent said. “It’s a privilege for me and an honor to watch how we serve.” – BSM